How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from the Japanese to English translated subtitles of Seven Samurai.
Quote #4
TALL SAMURAI: Let's use swords.
KYUZO: There is no need.
TALL SAMURAI: What?
KYUZO: If I use a sword, I'll kill you. It's stupid.
Defeat here is preordained. A combination of skill and observation tells Kyuzo exactly how it's going to go. And since he knows, why go through with it? It's very Zen, man… though clearly the other samurai didn't get the memo.
Quote #5
GOROBEI: You're good!
HEIHACHI: Not really. It's a lot harder than killing enemies.
GOROBEI: Have you killed many?
HEIHACHI: Since it's impossible to kill them all, I usually run away.
GOROBEI: A splendid principle.
These guys are acknowledging that sometimes defeat is inevitable. They understand that it's supposed to be shameful, and yet they've accepted it, even embraced it, and moved on. The irony is that kind of acceptance makes them such good samurai, maybe even better than samurai who'd never known defeat.