How to Read “You can take the commander from an army, but you cannot take the will from a common man”
Sangun mo shi wo ubau bekinari, hippū mo kokorozashi wo ubau bekarazarunari
Meaning of “You can take the commander from an army, but you cannot take the will from a common man”
This proverb means that while you can capture or defeat the commander of a great army, you cannot take away the will or beliefs that a single person holds in their heart.
It teaches that no matter how powerful someone’s authority or military force may be, they cannot control the determination and ideals within a person’s inner self.
People use this saying to encourage someone who maintains their beliefs despite difficult circumstances, or to praise the mental strength of those who refuse to yield to power.
Today, we use it when talking about protecting personal beliefs against organizational pressure or social conformity.
Even if someone loses their position or status, the core of their heart—what they believe in and what they aim for—cannot be taken by anyone unless they give it up themselves.
We use this expression to highlight the fundamental difference between physical power and spiritual power, and to clarify where human dignity truly lies.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is believed to come from words spoken by Confucius, recorded in the ancient Chinese classic “Analects” in the chapter “Zihan, Chapter Nine.”
The original text reads “三軍可奪帥也、匹夫不可奪志也,” which was transmitted to Japan in its classical Japanese reading form.
“Sangun” refers to a great army in ancient Chinese military organization. Specifically, it means an army composed of three divisions: upper, middle, and lower forces.
“Shi” means the supreme commander. Meanwhile, “hippū” is a word that represents a single ordinary person without rank or power.
Behind Confucius’s words lies the importance of “will” in Confucian thought.
In Confucianism, people believed that a person’s will—their determination toward the path they should follow—defines their true essence.
This saying contains the insight that even those with tremendous power cannot control the determination inside another person’s heart.
This proverb came to Japan long ago and became connected with the samurai spirit.
It has been passed down as words that speak of spiritual freedom and individual dignity.
We can say it expresses the core of Eastern philosophy, praising the inner strength that does not yield to external pressure.
Usage Examples
- Even imprisoned, his will for reform remained unshaken—truly “You can take the commander from an army, but you cannot take the will from a common man”
- Though driven from the company, he hasn’t lost his passion for research and aims to start over with the spirit of “You can take the commander from an army, but you cannot take the will from a common man”
Universal Wisdom
The truth this proverb speaks is a clear answer to the question of where the essence of human dignity lies.
Looking back through history, those in power have always tried to dominate others. They could seize territories, confiscate property, and strip away positions.
However, there is something that even those with tremendous power can never obtain. That is the will dwelling in a person’s heart.
Why has this proverb been passed down for over two thousand years? It’s because humans are beings who instinctively seek freedom.
Against all pressure applied from the outside, people try to protect their inner selves as a final fortress.
Throughout history, we repeatedly see people who won’t bend their beliefs despite torture, and people who won’t abandon their ideals despite persecution.
What this saying reveals is the limit of power. Physical force is certainly mighty, but it can only move superficial things.
Meanwhile, the invisible thing called will exists in a place no one’s hands can reach.
Here lies the mysterious strength of human beings. Though the body can be wounded, the heart belongs to no one.
This recognition is the foundation that supports human dignity.
When AI Hears This
When we view a great army and an individual’s will as information systems, a surprising difference emerges.
An army of thirty thousand is actually an extremely fragile information structure.
This is because it’s a “star network where information concentrates at one point—the commander.”
Each soldier only knows their own role, and the complete picture exists only in the commander’s head.
In other words, information is highly compressed and stored in one location.
In this structure, the entire system stops functioning if you defeat the commander or inject false orders—just a few bits of noise.
In information theory, systems with near-zero redundancy are vulnerable to single points of failure.
An individual’s will, on the other hand, has completely opposite characteristics.
Will is a state where the question “Why do I do this?” and its answer are intricately intertwined with that person’s memories, emotions, and values.
This resembles a distributed network, with information scattered and stored across countless neural circuits in the brain.
Even if you inject information from outside saying “stop,” it gets swallowed up in the vast sea of internal information.
In other words, will has extremely high information redundancy, and the whole doesn’t collapse from partial destruction.
The fragility of organizations and the strength of individuals—these arise from differences in how information is stored.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches you today is that true freedom exists inside you.
Even if you’re treated unfairly at work, criticized on social media, or misunderstood by those around you, no one can take away the dreams and beliefs you hold in your heart.
In modern society, we tend to be swayed by external evaluations. Follower counts, annual income, job titles.
These are certainly visible indicators, but they can also be lost.
However, your will—what you value and how you want to live—belongs only to you.
Even if you’re fired from your company or your project fails, no one can take away your determination to learn from that experience and move forward.
What matters is having a clear sense of your own will. It doesn’t need to be a grand goal.
Simple wills are fine: wanting to live honestly, wanting to help others, wanting to keep growing.
As long as you have that, your core remains protected no matter what difficulties you face.
Even when external circumstances change, if you have an internal compass, you can stand up again.
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