Rashomon - The Nature of Selfishness and Dishonesty
Woodcutter:
Selfish!
Commoner:
What's wrong with that? That's the way we are, the way we live. You just can't live unless you're what you call selfish.
Woodcutter:
Damn it. Everyone is selfish and dishonest. Making excuses. The bandit, the woman, the man, and you!
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Rashomon - The Nature of Truth and Deception
Woodcutter:
It's a lie. It's all a lie. Tajômaru's story and the woman's.
Commoner:
It's human nature to lie. Most of the time we can't even be honest with ourselves.
Priest:
That may be. But it's because men are weak that they lie, even to themselves.
Commoner:
Not another sermon. I don't care if it's a lie, as long as it's entertaining. What story did the woman come up with?
Priest:
Well, it's completely different from Tajômaru's story. So different that her face didn't even show the fierceness he spoke of. She was so docile, she was almost pitiful.
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Rashomon - Indifference to Violence in Society
Priest:
A man's been murdered.
Commoner:
So what? Only one? Why, up on top of this gate, there's always five or six bodies. No one worries about them.
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Rashomon - The Nature of Fear and Humanity
Priest:
I don't want to hear it. No more horror stories.
Commoner:
They are common stories these days. I even heard that the demon living here in Rashômon fled in fear of the ferocity of man.
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Rashomon - The Nature of Trust and Belief
Priest: [[trust; [Earth; [hell]
If men don't ] each other, this ] might as well be ].
Commoner:
Right. The world's a kind of hell.
Priest: [[believe]
No! I don't want to ] that!
Commoner: [[stories]
No one will hear you, no matter how loud you shout. Just think. Which one of these ] do you believe?
Woodcutter: [[sense]
None makes any ].
Commoner:
In the end, you cannot understand the things men do.
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Rashomon - The Illusion of Goodness in Humanity
Commoner: [[good]
But is there anyone who's really ]? Maybe goodness is just make-believe.
Priest:
What a frightening...
Commoner:
Man just wants to forget the bad stuff, and believe in the made-up good stuff. It's easier that way.
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Rashomon - Desire for Story Over Sermon
Commoner:
I wanted to hear a story, not one of your sermons.
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Rashomon - The Deceptive Power of Tears
Commoner:
Women use their tears to fool everyone. They even fool themselves.
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Rashomon - The Desire to Forget Our Past
Commoner: [[stories]
We all want to forget something, so we tell ]. It's easier that way.
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Rashomon - Truth and Lies in Human Nature
Commoner:
No one tells a lie after he's said he's going to tell one.
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Rashomon - Questioning Human Nature and Trust
Commoner: [[lie; [world; [honest]
If men ] in this ], what makes you so sure they'll be ] in the next?
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Rashomon - Preference for Rain Over Sermons
Commoner:
It sounded interesting, at least while I kept out of the rain. But if it's a sermon, I'd sooner listen to the rain.
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