“The typical young person becomes a sacrifice of their youth. To live fully is to become a sacrifice of life itself.”
- January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970
- Born in Japan
- Novelist, playwright, critic, political activist
- He became a representative figure of postwar Japanese literature, and was highly acclaimed both at home and abroad. He pursued his own unique aesthetic with themes of beauty and death, and ultimately committed seppuku at a Self-Defense Forces garrison. His life, which combined literature with action, continues to have a strong influence today.
Japanese
「典型的な青年は、青春の犠牲になる。十分に生きることは、生の犠牲になることなのだ。」
English
“The typical young person becomes a sacrifice of their youth. To live fully is to become a sacrifice of life itself.”
Explanation
In this quote, Mishima reflects on the paradox of youth and life. He suggests that the typical young person, in their pursuit of the fullness of youth and life, inevitably sacrifices something essential. The sacrifice of youth refers to the inevitable loss of innocence, freedom, and the idealized vision of life that comes with youth. However, Mishima goes further to suggest that the very act of living life fully—seeking experience, pleasure, or self-realization—also involves a form of sacrifice, as it requires giving up something deeper or more transcendent in exchange for immediacy and temporal satisfaction.
Mishima often explored the themes of youth, death, and the transitory nature of life. In this context, the sacrifice he speaks of could be understood as the inevitable loss of purity or idealism as one experiences the realities of life. The idealism and energy of youth are often replaced with compromise, disillusionment, and mortality as one grows older. Mishima’s words suggest that living fully—in its most human sense—inevitably involves the surrender of some essential part of the self: whether it is the innocence of youth, the simplicity of dreams, or even the freedom to dream.
In a modern context, this quote can resonate with contemporary concerns about the loss of youthful idealism and the cost of living in a complex world. Youthful dreams often give way to the pragmatic demands of adulthood, where the pursuit of career, status, or financial security can come at the expense of more idealistic aspirations. Mishima’s words challenge us to consider whether the pursuit of fulfillment—however necessary or desirable—might ultimately lead to the sacrifice of something more fundamental to the human experience. It raises questions about what it means to live fully and whether that fullness is always worth the cost it demands.
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