Patience

[grim23]

"Bushido is also a philosophy of patience. In combat the samurai stood face to face within striking distance of each other and patiently waited for the opponent to make the first strike. Generally the weaker man, no longer able to withstand the strain of waiting, would eventually strike the first blow. But the instant he started to move, the other man would move, not to defend, but to strike him down. This kind of confrontation, that rewarded impatience with an instant death, required awesome patience and powers of concentration ... [t]he code of ethics with its stress on patience, frugality and self-improvement became an integral part of the social ethos of Japan." - W. T. Shehan IV