Shinto Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old shinto quotes, shinto sayings, and shinto proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

Go to any Shinto temple in Japan and you'll see it: a simple stand from which hang hundreds of wooden postcard-size plaques with a colorful image on one side and, on the other, densely scribbled Japanese characters in black felt-tip pen, pleas to the gods for help or succor. Hanya Yanagihara
Shinto is still, in a manner of speaking, the soul of Japan, and even young Westernised Japanese who take no part in its manifold ritual, are conditioned, as their parents and grandparents were, by its fundamental characteristics. Shinichi Nagai
Shinto is essentially a religion of gratitude and love. W.G. Aston
Sincerity is the single virtue that binds divinity and man in one. Shinto. Jingishoju
Shinto is a way that is practised every morning and evening, in the acts of daily life, by every individual from the emperor to the common people… there is nothing within human life that does not belong to Shinto. Watarai Nobuyoshi
The inside of a house or apartment after decluttering has much in common with a Shinto shrine... a place where there are no unnecessary things, and our thoughts become clear. Marie Kondo
Shinto lies at the root of the whole of Japanese culture. Rene Grousset
The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form. Socrates
Japanese mind is synonymous with Shinto mind. William Gleason
A mirror has a clean light that reflects everything as it is. It symbolizes the stainless mind of the kami, and at the same time is regarded as a sacred symbolic embodiment of the fidelity of the worshipper towards the kami. Sokyo Ono
The nature of Shinto speaks to our human nature…. Shinto speaks to us, to something in us which is deep and permanent. Donald Richie
To be fully alive is to have an aesthetic perception of life because a major part of the world's goodness lies in its often unspeakable beauty. Yukitaka Yamamoto
Even the wishes of a small ant reach heaven. Japanese Proverb
For Shinto, at root, is a religion not of sermons but of awe: which is a sentiment that may or may not produce words, but in either case goes beyond them. Joseph Campbell
Retribution for good or ill is as sure as the shadow after substance. unknown
Many Japanese weddings are performed in the Shinto tradition in which the ceremony is held in a Shinto shrine. Deborah A. Levine
Instead of reacting against Buddhism, Shinto raised its prestige by identifying itself more closely than ever with the interests of the central government, co-operating with Buddhism in that respect. The identity of the Sun-goddess with the Buddha Locana was formally proclaimed in connection with the foundation of Central cathedral. Masaharu Anesaki
In the past, Shinto has generally been translated as the 'Way of Gods.' William P. Woodard
Shinto, the indigenous faith of the Japanese people, is relatively unknown among the religions of the world. Sokyo Ono
Shinto is more than religious faith. It is an amalgam of attitudes, ideas, and ways of doing things that through two milleniums and more have become an integral part of the way of Japanese people. Sokyo Ono
The western understanding of Buddhism as atheistic explains the statement of a Sinhalese estate clerk that Buddhism is 'not a religion but a practice.'. Richard F. Gombrich
Buddhism differs from agnosticism in that it asserts an innate transcendental faculty in man in which by elimination of all elements of 'defilement' may contemplate Reality and attain perfect knowledge and enlightenment—Nirvana. Christmas Humphreys
It is Buddhism that has woken me up to my imperfections and given me the ability to chuckle at my needy little ego's constant attempt to find security and self-aggrandizement in an ever-shifting, largely indifferent world. Jeff Wilson
The meditation practice in Buddhism is all about training one's own mind. Ajahn Chah
Just study Buddhism. Don't follow the sentiments of the world. Dogen
In Buddhism, there's no room even for righteous anger—as I sometimes have to remind myself. Bodhipaksa
One of the things that attracted me to explore Buddhism in the first place was its uncompromising nonviolence. Bodhipaksa
In China, Buddhism was rooted in scriptures and not in meditation. Liu Liang Ji
If there is any religion that could respond to the needs of modern science, it would be Buddhism. Albert Einstein
It is impossible to build one's own happiness on the unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings. Daisaku Ikeda