I like a quote from Shogun by James Clavell (it's about mediaval japan getting discovered by a westerner for the first time, it is incredibly without exaggeration).
“Karma is the beginning of knowledge. Next is patience. Patience is very important. The strong are the patient ones, Anjin-san. patience means holding back your inclination to the seven emotions: hate, adoration, joy, anxiety, anger, grief, fear. If you don't give way to the seven, you're patient, then you'll soon understand all manner of things and be in harmony with Eternity.”
It is historical fiction. blackthorne did exist, did get samurai status and estate, did build ships for Toranaga (Tokugawa Ieyasu). The characters are real and James Clavell spent 4 years in Japan researching and writing the book. His depiction was rather accurate, though of course exaggerated and romanticized.
Grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.