Emperor Meiji

Be ever careful in your choice of friends, and let your special love be given to those whose strength of character may prove the whip, that drives you ever to fair Wisdom’s goal.

Emperor Meiji (né Mutsuhito; 3 November 1852 – 29 July 1912) was Emperor of Japan from 30 January 1867 until his death in 1912. The Meiji Restoration proclaimed the Empire of Japan in 1868, beginning the Meiji era. During his reign, Japan transformed from a feudal state under the Tokugawa shogunate into a major imperial power.

Quotes

• The water placed in goblet, bowl or cup
  Changes its form to its receptacle;
  And so our plastic souls take various shapes
  And characters of good or ill, to fit
  The good or evil in the friends we choose.
  Therefore be ever careful in your choice of friends,
  And let your special love be given to those
  Whose strength of character may prove the whip,
  That drives you ever to fair Wisdom’s goal.
  • Poem written for the students at the Peeresses' School of Tokyo. Translated by Arthur Lloyd as "Wisdom's Goal" for the NYC Independent, vol. 57, no. 2,913 (Sep. 29, 1904), p. 705

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Emperor Meiji on Wikipedia