Dignity

“What is dignity? Dignity is the outward manifestation of inviolable self-respect; it is what makes a man a man. It is the firm belief that one would rather die than be despised by others.”

- Yukio Mishima, Mishima on Hagakure

Note: I think what he means in this context by despised is not to be hated for one’s principles or to be disliked socially, but to be judged as completely unworthy of any esteem. I doubt Mishima or Jōchō would say that a man who is hated by the majority because his ideas are unpopular (as Mishima’s often were) has no self respect, or that he should necessarily live in fear of being despised by others. – JM