A samurai, his toothpick and your self-image...

There's great quote from Hagakure (Book of the Samurai) that goes something like this:

"A Samurai always uses a toothpick, even when he has not eaten."

For the Samurai, saving face was of utmost importance. Even when too poor to eat dinner, the samurai would pretend he had, just to keep up appearances. After all, who would want or trust the services of a samurai who was not even able to feed himself!

This wisdom has an equally important place in our modern lives as well.

Think about it for a bit and I'm sure you will find a way to use it!