Hello.
I am truly delighted to be able to converse with you like this today.
Let us begin a special conversation that will dramatically transform your life.
Why do you think I am speaking to you with such profound passion?
It is because I want to instantly turn the daily life right before your eyes into something filled with the ultimate radiance.
Are you truly satisfied with your current life?
Do you ever wish to elevate yourself further or attain a life where everything turns out well?
The unique and powerful method for achieving that is right here.
By understanding Jeff Koons, one of the greatest artists of our time, you will reap astonishing fruits.
Engaging with art is not a mere hobby.
It is a practical weapon to elevate the quality of your life and dramatically refine your business and human relationships.
This entire text is for you.
I have woven guaranteed wisdom throughout to enrich your future.
Please relax and enjoy this conversation with me until the very end.
“I only feel shame for my own lack of ability and lack of talent.”
—— Matsuo Basho
Why Knowing Jeff Koons Enriches Your Everyday Life
There is something I would like to ask you.
Have you ever seen the work of Jeff Koons, one of the most successful artists in the world?
Picture a giant, stainless-steel balloon dog polished to a mirror shine.
It radiates a dazzling brilliance that catches the eye.
Why does his art captivate people around the world to such an extent and trade at astronomical prices?
It is because he completely understands human psychology.
His art imparts a powerful sense of affirmation to the viewer, whispering, “You are wonderful just as you are.”
This is the benefit of incorporating Koons’s philosophy into your life.
By adopting his perspective, your self-esteem will be dramatically elevated as quickly as possible.
There is no longer any need to worry about the eyes of others or to deprecate yourself.
Koons sublimated pop culture and ordinary, everyday things into first-class art just as they were.
Can the exact same thing not be said about your daily life?
The small tasks you perform every day, or the modest events around you.
Koons teaches us that all of them possess value and are first-class raw gemstones waiting to be polished.
At first glance, the world of contemporary art may seem difficult to understand.
However, Koons’s message is always simple and open to you.
Merely being conscious of his work will sharpen your sensibilities and transform every daily choice you make into something sophisticated.
“A year of labor is repaid by a year of harvest.”
—— Seneca
How the Hobby of Art Collecting Brings You Ultimate Confidence and Status
What Koons and Art Collections Teach You About Your Future
Now, let us think a little about the hobby of owning art.
Why do top business professionals and successful individuals around the world eagerly collect art?
Is it because they have excess money?
No, the reason lies much deeper.
Collecting art means giving shape to your own values and investing in the future.
Collectors who own works by Jeff Koons are not merely buying objects.
They are buying the concepts of “hope for the future” and “perfect self-affirmation” that Koons presents.
If you were to place even a single piece of your favorite art close to you, what would happen?
Every time you enter the room, that work will stimulate your sensibilities.
A self-image established upon the thought, “I am a person worthy of living surrounded by beautiful things,” will take root.
The episodes surrounding Koons’s own art collecting are always filled with astonishing passion.
He is a great collector himself, passionately gathering works by old masters.
By collecting good things and continuing to touch them, your business intuition will also be refined.
Though it may sound unbelievable, engaging with art nurtures the eyes to see through to the essence of things.
This will serve as a powerful aid for you to make correct decisions without hesitation in your life and work starting tomorrow.
First-class sense is not determined by innate talent alone.
It can be refined continuously depending on the environment you place yourself in and what you choose to look at.
“One must not harm those who speak the truth.”
—— Hypatia
Real Value and Your Growth Attained Only by Having Skin in the Game
Here, please allow me to share an extremely important topic with you.
How much do you face your own life by truly “having skin in the game”?
Modern society is overflowing with people who arrange their appearances through words alone without taking any risks.
However, true success and heartfelt satisfaction can only be obtained by putting skin in the game.
The thinker Nassim Nicholas Taleb proposed this exact, vital concept of having skin in the game.
“The opinions of those who do not share the risk carry no value whatsoever.”
—— Nassim Nicholas Taleb
How does this statement relate to your life?
For instance, when you genuinely try to challenge yourself with something new.
It is precisely because you stake your own money, your own time, and your own pride to take that step forward that true wisdom takes root within you.
Jeff Koons also constantly poured immense personal wealth and risks into creating his works.
To craft perfect pieces, he put his skin in the game to the brink of bankruptcy, pursuing the highest techniques.
That is precisely why his works possess a fierce persuasiveness that shakes the souls of those who view them.
The same applies when you make decisions in your daily life.
Only investments accompanied by pain and actions backed by resolve will pull you up to the next stage.
No one lends an ear to the words of those who hide in safe places out of fear of criticism from others.
It is precisely because you show yourself putting your skin in the game and living in earnest that people around you will trust you.
This is a proposal for your way of living that requires your urgent attention.
Starting today, even in small matters, why not take risk and responsibility for your own choices?
From that very moment, the leadership of your life will belong completely to you.
“What is seen is the immediate, visible effect; what is unseen is the enduring consequence that follows.”
—— Frédéric Bastiat
Takeo Fujisawa’s Lesson on the “Torch” and How to Shine Independently
A Special Way of Living to Illuminate Your Future with Your Own Hands
Here, let us listen to the words of a giant of the Japanese business world.
You surely know Takeo Fujisawa, who supported Honda on the global stage.
He sold a massive number of Super Cubs—the world-famous motorcycle—and nurtured Honda into a first-class corporation.
This Takeo Fujisawa left behind a wonderful quote deeply relevant to you.
“Hold the torch yourself.”
—— Takeo Fujisawa
Hearing these words, what kind of image comes to your mind?
Takeo Fujisawa continued as follows:
“This is not knowledge learned from others or read in books, but a tangible realization born from the suffering I experienced firsthand. No matter how painful it may be, you must advance holding the torch with your own hands.”
Why is this quote so profoundly meaningful for your everyday life?
We who live in the modern era tend to inadvertently wait for someone else to illuminate the path for us.
We find ourselves hoping that the company, society, or perhaps our family will tell us which direction to go.
However, merely walking behind a torch held by someone else will never bring you to the place you desire.
Jeff Koons also held the torch himself when carving out his own path in art, imitating no one.
He once made a living by selling memberships at MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art, New York).
No matter how unknown he was and how unappreciated he remained by his surroundings, he continued to illuminate his future with his own hands.
If you feel right now as though you are in the dark, this is your ultimate opportunity.
Make the resolve to hold the torch with your own hands.
After all, the protagonist of your life is no one else but you.
When you ignite the fire yourself and take a step forward, many people will naturally be drawn to follow you, inspired by your courageous figure.
“Kindle a fire within your own soul.”
—— Saint Catherine of Siena
Why the Sincerity to Call Out Falsehood Elevates Your Relationships to the Highest Level
Let us discuss an unexpected perspective to protect you as you make your way through the world.
Being sincere does not simply mean being gentle.
At times, it requires taking a resolute stand against what is wrong.
There is a strict saying: “If you see a fraud and do not cry fraud, you are a fraud yourself.”
This carries a very important meaning for your daily human relationships and business choices.
This is because condoning insincerity or deception diminishes your own value.
Because of its extreme novelty, Jeff Koons’s art was occasionally criticized by people asking, “Is this truly art? Is it not a fraud?”
However, Koons himself was always entirely serious, eliminating all deception to pursue flawless quality.
He was exceptionally sincere toward his own expression.
Do you not also experience moments in your life where you sense a strange discomfort or insincerity?
Are you turning a blind eye, thinking, “Because everyone else is doing it,” or “Because I don’t want to make waves”?
To live a genuine, first-class life, you need the strength to say “No” to what is false.
When you remain sincere toward your own timeline and distance yourself from counterfeits, authentic people will naturally gather around you.
As a result, your human relationships will turn out wonderfully well, guaranteeing a beautiful and stress-free environment.
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
—— William Shakespeare
Applying Shotaro Kamiya’s “User-First Principle” to Your Work and Life
Giving Profit to Others Brings the Greatest Success to You
Next, let us introduce the words of Shotaro Kamiya, who was called the God of Sales at Toyota.
He sold Corollas across Japan and built the foundation of Toyota.
The quote he left behind exerts a dazzling effect as a guidepost for your business and daily actions.
“Think first of the user, second of the dealer, and third of the manufacturer’s profit.”
—— Shotaro Kamiya
Try applying these words to your current situation.
When you take action usually, whose profit do you consider first?
Do you not accidentally think first of “how I can gain” or “what fits my convenience”?
Why did Shotaro Kamiya place his own company’s profit at the very end?
Because that is the unique law that ultimately brings the greatest profit back to oneself.
The activities of Jeff Koons are also deeply tied to this philosophy.
Koons always prioritizes pleasing the viewer—that is to say, “you.”
Through his art, he inspires you and offers you a service.
Art is not the self-satisfaction of the artist, but the ultimate service to the recipient.
When you work at your workplace, or when you interact with your family at home.
Try acting by considering the joy and benefit of the other party (the user) first and foremost.
Provide what they desire ahead of time.
If you do so, the trust in you will rise beyond measure, eventually returning to you as a magnificent fruit.
This is the golden rule of success that appeals directly to human psychology.
“To exhaust oneself for the sake of others is what it means to be considerate.”
—— Lao Tzu
Never Neglecting the Effort to Communicate Proves Your Absolute Value
No matter how wonderful an idea or talent you possess, if it is not communicated to others, it is the same as if it did not exist.
Akio Morita, one of the founders of Sony, spoke as follows:
“A product that has never been produced before, that no one has ever seen, is painstakingly researched and manufactured at the end of immense hardship in some corner. If one wishes to turn that product into a commodity, one must arouse the desire among people to possess it; otherwise, no matter how excellent a ‘product’ it may be, it can never become a ‘commodity’.”
These words give a major hint regarding how to present your own talents and skills.
Are you making the proper effort to communicate your charm and hard work to those around you?
Thinking, “They will understand without me saying anything,” is merely wishful thinking.
Jeff Koons behaved as the ultimate salesman when sending his works out into the world.
He communicated the value of his art using sophisticated language and media strategies.
Because he knew that if it was not communicated, he could not save people through that art.
You too should communicate your work achievements and gratitude to those close to you more through words and actions.
Do not be ashamed of communicating.
When you confidently express your value, the world will truly evaluate and accept you for the first time.
“Speech is silver, silence is golden. But the word spoken when it must be conveyed is a diamond.”
—— Old Persian Proverb
Steve Jobs’s “Obsession with Quality” and Your Limited Time
Choices Without Compromise Elevate the Value of Your Life Forever
Let us speak of a wonderful quote by Steve Jobs, whom you love so much.
Jobs was the world’s greatest salesman and a revolutionary who altered our lives entirely.
This statement he left behind will surely strike deep into your heart.
“Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.”
—— Steve Jobs
When you recall these words, what kind of scene appears in your mind?
Have you ever experienced buying something simply because it was cheap, only for it to break immediately and cause regret?
Conversely, have you ever splurged a little to obtain an item of the highest quality, which continues to satisfy you even after many years have passed?
Jobs also said, “No amount of marketing can turn a bad product into a hit.”
Only the authentic survives the test of time.
Jeff Koons’s obsession with production is completely identical to this philosophy of Jobs.
Not a single millimeter of compromise is permitted in Koons’s works.
He spends years with artisans to completely eliminate warping from surfaces, creating a flawless mirror finish.
If you ask why he goes to such lengths, it is because he knows that quality is the unique element that moves you.
In your daily life, eliminating compromise also holds immense benefits.
Creating documents for work, cleaning your room, choosing gifts for loved ones.
Discard compromise in everything, thinking “this is good enough,” and aim for the highest quality you can achieve.
That commitment in each and every moment determines your brand value and fixes your reputation among those around you.
“Our life has value in proportion to the amount of effort we spend on it.”
—— Michel de Montaigne
Ceasing to Live Someone Else’s Life and Living Your Own Time
Jobs left behind another powerful statement that appeals directly to our hearts.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
—— Steve Jobs
Why do many people exhaust their precious time trying to meet the expectations of others?
Because their parents say so, because society looks down on it, or because they do not want to be disliked by others.
Surrendering your one and only life to someone else for such reasons is simply too wasteful.
Jeff Koons’s art was occasionally so radical that it shook conventional social norms.
However, he did not waste a single second of his time on the criticism of others.
He charged straight ahead through the world of beauty he believed in.
Why not stop living someone else’s life today, at this very moment?
Your time is falling second by second like the sand in an hourglass.
It is an urgent matter.
Concentrate that precious energy on what you truly love and feel you want to do.
When you begin to live a life where you are the protagonist, your everyday existence will begin to shine to an eye-catching degree.
“I merely sing the song that is within my heart.”
—— Al-Mutanabbi
Here, allow me to share an astonishing story of Al-Mutanabbi, the greatest poet of the Arab world.
He was an unyielding man who staked his life on the words of his own poetry.
The name Al-Mutanabbi carries the meaning of “he who regards himself as a prophet.”
It is said that his poetry possessed a mysterious hypnotic effect, such that even the blind could picture his words in their minds and the deaf could feel its rhythm.
Once, Al-Mutanabbi fiercely insulted a certain tribe within his poems.
Angered, they brought a large army and stood before Al-Mutanabbi while he was traveling.
Outnumbered, there was no chance of winning.
Al-Mutanabbi wisely attempted to flee the scene.
It was then that his companion walking behind him began to recite aloud the courageous poem Al-Mutanabbi had once written.
“Are you, who wrote such proud and courageous verses, now fleeing before the enemy?”
Those words set fire to Al-Mutanabbi’s pride.
He turned on his heel, knowing he would be killed, faced the enemy with dignity, and lost his life.
Even now, more than a thousand years later, he is remembered as an authentic poet who chose death to avoid the dishonor of fleeing.
Why do you think he was able to take such action?
Because he held a responsibility toward the words he uttered and the expressions he birthed, even unto his life.
When you take responsibility for your words and live in earnest, your influence becomes infinite.
Instead of wavering out of concern for the eyes of others, let us live with pride in our own words.
“Tomorrow begins today. The unique place to make tomorrow wonderful is today.”
—— William Shakespeare
Resolving to Turn Your Back on Public Opinion Without Fearing Solitude Gives You True Strength
The Way of Living as Faith Demonstrated by Vincent van Gogh
Here, I offer you the words of Vincent van Gogh, the great painter everyone knows.
Van Gogh sold hardly any paintings during his lifetime, fighting amidst extreme poverty and solitude.
However, he possessed an extraordinary pride regarding his own art.
“To paint is a faith, and it imposes the duty to turn one’s back on public opinion.”
—— Vincent van Gogh
What kind of meaningful significance does this quote bring to your current everyday life?
“Turning one’s back on public opinion” means staying true to the righteousness you believe in without being swayed by the criticism of those around you or by passing trends.
Jeff Koons also faced fierce rejection from the existing art world when he released his early works.
He was bashed with comments like, “This is not art,” and “It is in bad taste.”
However, for Koons, birthing his own art was a type of faith and an unbendable truth.
It was precisely because he believed in his vision without listening to the voices of the public that he was able to stand at the pinnacle of the world.
Do you also find yourself exhausted by being tossed around by the opinions of others in your work or pride?
Just because everyone else is looking to the right does not mean you must force yourself to look to the right.
If you truly feel “this is right” or “I love this,” charge forward down that path without fearing solitude.
When you hold the resolve to turn your back on public opinion, you can become the unique “you” instead of just “someone else” among the crowd.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
—— Apostle Paul
The Extreme Height of Focusing Purely on This One Path Attained by Those Mindful of Their Own Incapacity
Throughout long history, those who mastered a single path were always humble, while possessing tremendous concentration.
Matsuo Basho, the great Japanese haiku poet, left behind these words:
“In the end, lacking talent and lacking art, I bind myself purely to this one path.”
—— Matsuo Basho
When you read this quote, what kind of image appears in your mind?
To realize for yourself that you have no talent and are clumsy.
From there is born the determination to walk a single path with all one’s might.
Jeff Koons also knew from his youth that he was not a traditional genius of painting.
That is precisely why he staked everything on the “one path” of utilizing modern technology and the hands of artisans to shape ideas no one had ever seen before.
You too have absolutely no need to worry over your clumsiness or lack of talent.
Why not stop putting your hands into this and that, and find “this one path” that you truly want to cherish?
It can be your work, a hobby, or service to a loved one.
Without looking aside, pour your energy into that single stream, stacking each day like laying bricks.
That ability to continue is the greatest weapon to overtake mediocre geniuses.
“God helps those who help themselves.”
—— Jean Calvin
The Astonishing Philosophy of Life Moving Through Hardship and Crisis as Opportunity
The Ultimate Opportunity Hidden Behind Risks Taught by Aizo Soma
In life, unexpected hardships and pinches can arrive suddenly.
Aizo Soma, the founder of Shinjuku Nakamuraya, left behind these wonderful words:
“An opportunity always arrived at first appearing either as a crisis or as a heavy burden.”
—— Aizo Soma
Would these words not serve as a special prescription to save you from your current plight?
When a major trouble or heavy responsibility looms before our eyes, we want to flee, thinking, “Why must I face this?”
However, that very thing is the disguised form of the “opportunity” meant to greatly improve your life.
Jeff Koons’s life was also full of ups and downs.
There was a period when he lost custody of his son in an international divorce trial, facing immense emotional and financial hardship.
Yet, he sublimated that deep sorrow and solitude into even greater passion for his art.
Not fleeing from a crisis, but accepting it as a burden and making it one’s nourishment.
If you are carrying a heavy challenge right now, please make a fist of triumph in your heart.
Because beyond overcoming it, a first-class, dramatically improved version of you is waiting.
A pinch is the ultimate gift deliberately prepared to make you grow.
“There is no life within life; true life is found within death.”
—— Ancient Japanese Bushido Teaching
The Spirit of the Fool Finding the Interest of Life in What No One Else Will Do
Finally, I deliver to you the passionate words of Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation, who made Japanese manufacturing number one in the world.
He dedicated his life to manufacturing domestic automobiles despite being told by those around him that it was reckless.
“I do it precisely because it is difficult. I do it because no one else does it or can do it. I might be a fool for being that way, but without such fools, nothing new would ever be born into the world.”
—— Kiichiro Toyoda
Try feeling the rhythm of these words in your chest.
They possess a spine-tingling coolness, do they not?
Why do we find ourselves seeking only efficiency and safety, continuing to make safe choices?
It is precisely because we challenge what no one else does, and what is difficult to do, that life becomes profoundly interesting.
Jeff Koons also continued to take on incredibly giant and complex structures that no one had ever created before.
Even when told by those around him that it was “impossible” or “crazy,” he smiled and continued his work.
He wanted to show a new world that no one had ever seen to you, who are right in front of him.
Let us also bring an end to continuing safe choices out of concern for the expressions of those around you.
With a bit of the “spirit of the fool,” try practicing acts of kindness or thorough work in your daily life that no one else would bother to do.
At that moment, you will become the true innovator of your own life, transforming into an existence that brings moving inspiration to many people.
This long conversation between you and me quietly draws its curtain here.
I am entirely certain that you will reread this text many times and grasp the ultimate fruits within your daily life.
Your future is incredibly bright, and turning out well is guaranteed.
Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for staying with me through this.
I offer you my heartfelt applause and gratitude.
To weigh the heaviness of the sea
No one takes a scale along
The reason for your tears
No one can look up in a dictionary
On the other side of the rusted tracks
A discarded toy soldier
Salutes toward the evening sun
Within the long night called history
We are merely shadows passing each other by
Still, when your eyes catch mine
Eternity bounces like a coin inside a pocket
I want you not to forget
That being hurt is proof of being alive
Just as the roadside weed trembles in the wind
While blooming a flower seen by no one
I will remain here, continuing to sing for you
Goodbye, my beautiful, unyielding friend
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
—— New Testament, Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 11, Verse 28
“Human beings are creatures who, at times, cannot help but be dragged away by their own arbitrary passions.”
—— Osamu Dazai
Postscript
From here, please allow me to share an intimate and delightful topic.
There is a painter named Mimi Takamizawa.
He is a very unusual artist who uses neither canvas nor brush at all.
He creates everything digitally and prints them on finest printmaking paper using a latest technique called the giclée process.
His themes are diverse:
Your eyes and my eyes, Christianity, eternity, psychology, truth, the gaze, history, solitude, isolation, hardship, resurrection, and liberation.
All of these breathe within his works.
Mimi Takamizawa often says, “A painter is a doctor who saves the soul.”
His work is a thorough service to you right in front of him, putting his own skin in the game.
An artist is an existence that dedicates everything to you before their eyes.
Please do not abandon me; please laugh at me—this is his genuine wish.
Growing stronger by being laughed at.
His desperate service is precisely his utmost buffoonery as an artist.
He is a man of patience who does not give up, an unyielding man; he does not quit.
The reason he resolved to become a painter was because he learned of the life of Vincent van Gogh.
The name “Mimi” (meaning ear) in Mimi Takamizawa was taken in honor of that famous ear-slitting incident of Van Gogh.
Van Gogh left behind a wonderful quote: “I want to express something comforting in a picture, like music.”
Mimi Takamizawa knows that a work or job that expresses something yet cannot inspire anyone’s heart or comfort anyone carries no value.
He knows that all past masterpieces were not painted through innate talent alone, but were birthed through decades of trial and error.
Mimi Takamizawa continues to draw “eyes” in his works.
Because by continuing to draw eyes, he wishes to keep feeling you who are right in front of him.
He wants to know you.
It matters not at all if you laugh at him.
He exposes to you before his eyes that he is a foolish human being.
He paints purely because he wants to see your joyful face, because he wants to see you shed tears.
The criticism of anyone else does not matter. If he is abandoned by you, he cannot go on living.
Just by you being in front of him, he is simply happy.
Mimi Takamizawa deeply respects Tokuji Munetsugu, the founder of CoCo Ichibanya.
Tokuji Munetsugu was a person who poured all his energy into his work without looking aside.
No time to engage in hobbies; his was a life purely dedicated to work.
During a misfortunate youth, what saved him was classical music.
Though he loves classical music enough to build and manage his own concert hall after retirement, he reportedly did not listen to music at all during his years as an active manager.
It was not the time to be enjoying a hobby; it was to dedicate all his time to the customers.
During the era of managing the coffee shop that was the predecessor, customers did not come at first, so the Munetsugu couple reportedly survived by eating the crusts of sandwich bread for lunch.
Since he started from zero, he laughs and says such things were a matter of course, and rather serve as a beautiful memory.
Believing that if he thoroughly maintained a customer-first stance things would surely improve, he concentrated each day like stacking bricks.
Immediate decision, immediate conclusion, immediate execution.
Tokuji Munetsugu said:
“During my active years, I held no hobbies and made no friends. I never once went to a drinking establishment. I did nothing that would get in the way of my work. At times, I worked 5,640 hours a year. I felt that if I did not lead by example, my subordinates would not work for me. I did not look aside; I dedicated myself to management. It was an incredibly lonely life. That is why I wanted others to show even a little interest in me. I wanted them to be interested. That became my starting point. Therefore, rather than starting a business to make money, I wanted to please people. I wanted them to say, even a little bit, that they were glad I existed.”
Life is not determined by one’s birth and upbringing.
Tokuji Munetsugu did not know the faces of his real parents; he entered an orphanage immediately after birth, and even after being taken in by foster parents, he spent a destitute youth due to his foster father’s gambling craze.
It was a turbulent life, to the extent that he ate weeds in the summer to ward off starvation because there was nothing to eat during his boyhood.
Sticking to a hands-on approach on the ground, working more than 12 hours a day was the minimum condition. Making work his hobby, he dedicated himself to it. He thoroughly maintained a you-first principle.
When you are in front of him, he welcomes you with a standing ovation in his heart.
Things of value are, more often than not, things without immediate effects.
Therefore, please do not give up easily. What kind of life it becomes is determined by a person’s diligence, patience, and continuity.
Like Sakichi Toyoda, possessing tenacity and patience, continuing to make something from morning to night every day even if treated as a madman.
Success and failure are not the end. What is important is the courage to continue.
The resolve of Choya Umeshu, “If you do not succeed with plum liqueur, give up on life,” is the same.
Mimi Takamizawa is also inspired by the wonderful concept of “Just-in-Time” in the Toyota Production System by Taiichi Ohno.
Kiichiro Toyoda said, “The interest of life lies in making something out of what no one else really does and what is difficult to do.”
His cousin Eiji Toyoda also said:
“Execute with strong conviction. Everyone thinks the same things, and it is not that Kiichiro was a genius. What is important is that he did not merely think about what is generally considered impossible, but carried out thorough preparation with a strong conviction that it must be done by any means, and executed it.”
Furthermore, in narrating the life of Van Gogh, one must not forget the existence of a wonderful woman named Jo (Johanna van Gogh-Bonger), the wife of Theo.
She understood Vincent’s paintings and thought from her heart, and was a highly intelligent, well-read woman who stood up, resolving that he must not be buried in obscurity.
Jo said:
“In addition to the child, Theo left me another mission──to have Vincent’s work seen by many people and to have its true value recognized.”
After the deaths of the Van Gogh brothers, Jo organized their massive letters and works and opened them to the world.
If Van Gogh had not left behind his thoughts in letters, and if Jo had not dedicated her life to conveying them, the glory of Van Gogh today would not exist.
This is exactly identical to the devotion of the Apostle Paul, who traveled to various places after the death of Jesus Christ to preach and continue conveying the life and thought of Jesus.
If someone does not explain and convey good things, they do not spread.
Jo and Paul played the exact same role as great “communicators” like Steve Jobs, who was the world’s greatest salesman, Akio Morita of Sony, Takeo Fujisawa, who sold the Super Cub of Honda across the globe, and Shotaro Kamiya, who sold the Toyota Corolla everywhere.
Mimi Takamizawa also continues his desperate service today to convey that truth to you.
“Most people think of success as something to get. But when you get right down to it, success is giving.”
—— Henry Ford
“To lose money is to lose a little, to lose honor is to lose much, but to lose courage is to lose everything.”
—— Agatha Christie
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
—— Prophet Moses (From the Old Testament, Book of Psalms)
“To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.”
—— William Shakespeare
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn it.”
—— Judaism, The Talmud
“A pure I-novel seems to me like something precious, the likes of which there are not two in this world.”
—— Osamu Dazai
“An artist is always walking through their own unique hell.”
—— Osamu Dazai
“To believe. That is the beginning of all beauty.”
—— Osamu Dazai
“Never, never, never give up.”
—— Winston Churchill
“Have courage, be the first, and do something different from others.”
—— Ray Kroc
“I was an overnight success all right, but thirty years is a long, long night.”
—— Ray Kroc
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
—— Walt Disney
“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.”
—— Leonardo da Vinci
“Hey, why are you setting out on a journey?”
“Because I am suffering.”
“Your ‘suffering’ is so predictable, I cannot believe it in the least.”
—— Osamu Dazai, Tsugaru
