Photography, in its very essence, does not create something from nothing. It is a device that copies existing images. If we begin from this assumption of copying, we can move closer to understanding the true nature of photography.
The Contradiction at the Heart of the Photograph
There is no real meaning in trying to create artwork purely through one’s own aesthetics or concepts. And yet, when people take photographs, their memories and personal sensibilities are always present within the image.
This creates an everlasting contradiction.
Still, this contradiction is acceptable.
A Scattered World
The world is not a single, unified entity. It is scattered.
Photography simply copies these scattered worlds, and through that act of copying, we are forced to ask again what photographs truly are.
The Image In Between
Realism by itself is not exciting, and neither is conceptual or aesthetic art. What matters instead is the space in between—the world of the copy.
This in-between image is what photography must confront.
Against Originality
Photography has no originality.
Please do not say, “this is art.”
If you have a camera, you can make a copy.
Photography is not an activity monopolized by professionals.
Any amateur can be as good as a professional.
However, unfortunately, the Japanese amateur photographer’s world became more and more professionally oriented, and there is no longer any essence, and it became shitty.
I’m walking in the woods today, camera in hand, thinking about quantity versus quality in photography.
And my belief is simple:
In order to find quality, you must embrace quantity.
This isn’t theory. This isn’t motivational fluff. This is something I’ve learned through repetition, failure, and showing up every single day for over a decade.
The Trap of Chasing Quality
A lot of photographers hesitate.
They wait.
They only press the shutter when everything feels right—the decisive moment, the perfect alignment, the perfect subject, the perfect light.
That instinct is understandable. But I think it’s limiting.
When you’re constantly chasing quality, you end up:
Overthinking
Hesitating
Being precious with the shutter
Shooting less
Improving slower
Attachment to outcome breeds stagnation.
Quantity Is the Path to Quality
Photography is difficult.
Finding something truly worthwhile in a frame takes time. A lot of time.
That’s why I shoot constantly.
Thousands of frames. Every day. Same streets. Same walks. Same corners. Same light patterns.
Not because I expect every photo to be good—but because I know most of them won’t be.
And that’s the point.
99% of your photos should be bad. That’s not a failure. That’s the process working correctly.
The Minecraft Metaphor 🪨💎
Here’s how I think about it.
Photography is like mining for diamonds in Minecraft.
You don’t just walk into a cave and immediately find diamonds. You dig. You hit dead ends. You fight off zombies. You fall into lava. You die. You try again.
But if you consistently mine at the right depth—Y11—and you keep strip mining in a straight, disciplined way, you will eventually find diamonds.
Photography works the same way.
By repeating the same walk. By returning to the same corner. By learning where the light falls. By understanding human and natural patterns.
Quantity increases your odds of hitting the diamonds.
Process Over Results
My goal when I’m out photographing is not quality.
My goal is production.
To move. To walk. To respond. To press the shutter. To stay in flow.
I’m not thinking about composition. I’m not thinking about whether the photo will be “good.” I’m not hunting for a masterpiece.
I trust time.
I trust repetition.
I trust that if I keep moving, something real will eventually appear.
Modern Cameras Changed the Game
We’re not shooting in 1970 anymore.
Today we have:
Small digital cameras
Massive storage
Built-in memory
Unlimited mistakes
Immediate feedback
With cameras like the Ricoh GR, there’s no excuse to be precious. You can shoot freely. You can fail freely. You can experiment freely.
And through that freedom, you grow faster.
If you insist on shooting like it’s still 1970, you’ll get results that look like 1970.
Embrace the tools of the present.
Discipline, Consistency, Repetition
Quality doesn’t come from inspiration.
It comes from:
Discipline
Consistency
Repetition
Time
Showing up every day. Doing the same walk. Making the same mistakes. Pressing the shutter again and again.
That’s how vision forms. That’s how intuition sharpens. That’s how quality emerges naturally.
Final Thought
Don’t get discouraged when you come home unimpressed.
That’s normal.
Photography takes years—not months.
If there’s one external goal worth chasing, it’s this:
Make more pictures.
Quantity is not the enemy of quality.
Quantity is the only way to find it.
The gospel of the day.
Praise be to Ricoh.
Rico jihadist in the woods, plotting my next move.
Daido Moriyama: The Complete Works is one of the most ambitious and comprehensive publications ever assembled on a living photographer. Presented in four monumental hardcover volumes, this set traces Moriyama’s entire career from 1964 through 2003, cataloging thousands of images, historical indexes, essays, and conversations that shaped his artistic evolution.
Published by Daiwa Radiator Factory Co., Ltd., the set serves as both a visual archive and an intellectual map of Moriyama’s contributions to Japanese photography and global photographic culture.
Vol. 1
Size: 230 × 295 × 55 mm Pages: 599 Images: 1,460 Includes: complete historical index of published images
Texts
Interview by Shomei Tomatsu
Essays by Gerard Malanga
Essay by Miyako Ishiuchi (Photographer)
Essay by Shinro Ohtake (Painter)
Vol. 2
Size: 230 × 295 × 56 mm Pages: 615 Images: 1,495 Includes: complete historical index of published images
Texts
Essays by Midori Matsui
Essay by Michitaka Ota (Editor, President of Sokyu-sha)
Dialogue between Daido Moriyama and Nobuyoshi Araki
Vol. 3
Size: 230 × 295 × 59 mm Pages: 661 Images: 1,642 Includes: complete historical index of published images
Texts
Essay by Charles Merewether
Essay by Noriko Tsutatani (Curator, Shimane Art Museum)
Interview texts by Hajime Sawatari, Osamu Wataya, and Michitaka Ota
Vol. 4
Size: 230 × 295 × 51 mm Pages: 543 Images: 1,161 Includes: complete historical index of published images
Texts
Interview text by Takeshi Kitano
Interview with Etsuro Ishihara by Minoru Shimizu
Chronology of Moriyama’s life and work
Bibliography
List of selected exhibitions
Why This Set Matters
This four-volume collection isn’t just a retrospective; it’s a complete visual and textual universe of Moriyama’s work. Each volume expands on the previous one—more images, more voices, more context—revealing the evolution of his signature language: raw, grainy, high-contrast images that capture the pulse of Japanese streets and the restless energy of post-war urban life.
With nearly 6,000 photographs across roughly 2,400 pages, accompanied by commentary from leading photographers, painters, editors, and critics, this set stands as the definitive reference for anyone studying Moriyama or the Provoke-era ethos.
Daido Moriyama: Quartet is more than just a photobook release — it is a gathering of four of the most radical works that shaped the trajectory of postwar Japanese photography. Presented in a single slipcased edition, Quartet consolidates rare and once-difficult-to-find volumes into an accessible form for both collectors and students of photography.
Moriyama (b. 1938) remains one of the most prolific photographers of the modern era, his work defined by gritty black-and-white images, high contrast, and a restless energy that refuses to settle. With Quartet, we are invited to experience the turbulence, experimentation, and vision that made him a central figure in the Provoke movement and beyond.
What’s Inside
The slipcase brings together four seminal photobooks spanning fifteen years of Moriyama’s career:
Japan: A Photo Theater (1968) His first photobook, documenting actors, prostitutes, and outsiders on the margins of Japanese society. A raw, theatrical presentation of postwar realities.
A Hunter (1972) A work of restlessness and movement, filled with images taken on the road. The camera becomes a weapon — quick, sharp, and instinctive.
Farewell Photography (1972) Perhaps his most radical experiment. Images are blurred, overexposed, fragmented — a direct challenge to photography itself. Moriyama dismantles the medium, leaving behind only traces, scratches, and ghosts of pictures.
Light and Shadow (1982) A return to clarity, but without abandoning tension. This book represents balance — the refinement of a style once in chaos, now distilled into bold forms of light cutting through darkness.
Why Quartet Matters
Collects four of Moriyama’s most important books in one edition
Preserves rare, once-limited publications
Offers access to works that shaped the history of Japanese photography
Includes excerpts from Moriyama’s diaries and journals, adding depth to the images
For students of photography, Quartet is a living archive — a reference point for understanding how an artist can both destroy and rebuild the medium through relentless experimentation.
Moriyama’s Vision
At the core of Moriyama’s practice is instinct. His images are fast, imperfect, and alive. They reject polish in favor of urgency, echoing the rhythms of city life and the alienation of modern existence.
In Quartet, we see the arc of a restless spirit: from theater to hunting, from destruction to balance. Each book functions as a chapter in an ongoing conversation between Moriyama and the camera — a dialogue about what it means to see, to record, and to confront reality.
Closing Thoughts
Daido Moriyama: Quartet is not just a collector’s item — it is a gateway. For some, it may be an introduction to one of photography’s most radical voices. For others, it is a reminder of how images can rupture, provoke, and awaken.
As a single object, Quartet unites fragments of a career defined by intensity. As a body of work, it offers lessons on the possibilities of photography itself.
Daido Moriyama’s Record 2: A Gritty Chronicle of Urban Life
Introduction
Daido Moriyama, one of the most influential figures in Japanese street photography, continues his lifelong pursuit of capturing the raw essence of urban life in Record 2. This photobook, published as a sequel to Record, is part of his long-standing magazine series, Kiroku (Record), which dates back to 1972.
The Concept Behind Record 2
Record 2 is a carefully curated selection of photographs from issues 31 to 50 of Moriyama’s personal magazine. The book, spanning 352 pages with 270 color illustrations, is designed to mimic the aesthetics of its original magazine format.
“For me, photography is not about beautiful compositions or technical precision. It is about capturing the chaos of life as it unfolds.” — Daido Moriyama
Moriyama’s signature high-contrast, grainy style is ever-present, offering a fragmented, immersive view of urban existence.
Visual and Stylistic Approach
Record 2 maintains Moriyama’s distinct photographic language, featuring:
High-contrast black-and-white images
Grainy textures that amplify the rawness of city life
Tightly cropped compositions that add an element of abstraction
Street photography that blurs the line between documentary and personal expression
His approach emphasizes the unfiltered, unpolished energy of the streets, drawing from his philosophy of are, bure, boke (grainy, blurry, out-of-focus photography).
“I am drawn to the chaotic beauty of the everyday. Photography is my way of recording the world without interference.” — Daido Moriyama
Thematic Elements
Record 2 is not merely a collection of images but a visual diary that encapsulates:
The ephemeral nature of urban life
The fragmentation of modern society
Memory and personal perception
The rejection of traditional photographic aesthetics
“The city is a living organism, always changing. My job is to capture its pulse.” — Daido Moriyama
A Deeper Look into Moriyama’s Process
Unlike conventional street photographers who seek decisive moments, Moriyama embraces the fleeting, the accidental, and the imperfect. His photographs are often taken in a quick, instinctual manner, prioritizing feeling over technical accuracy.
His work in Record 2 reflects his philosophy of seeing, a concept influenced by William Klein and Jack Kerouac’s spontaneous prose.
The Book’s Design and Presentation
One of the most compelling aspects of Record 2 is its layout. It follows the style of his original Record publications:
Full-bleed images that eliminate any white space, immersing viewers directly into the chaos of the streets
Thin paper stock, maintaining the feel of a magazine rather than a traditional photobook
Minimalist text, allowing the images to stand as a pure visual narrative
Why Record 2 Matters
For anyone interested in street photography, Record 2 is a masterclass in breaking photographic conventions. Moriyama reminds us that photography is not about perfection but about embracing the imperfections of reality.
“A photograph is a fragment of time. It exists only in that moment, and then it is gone. That is its power.” — Daido Moriyama
Final Thoughts
Record 2 is a bold, unfiltered journey through the streets of Tokyo and beyond. Moriyama continues to push the boundaries of what photography can be—not a polished representation of reality, but an unvarnished reflection of its fleeting moments.
For those seeking inspiration, or simply a deeper understanding of Moriyama’s radical approach to photography, Record 2 is an essential addition to any collection.
📖 Recommended for:
Street photographers who appreciate raw, unfiltered storytelling
Fans of the Provoke movement and Moriyama’s earlier works
Anyone fascinated by the philosophy of seeing in photography
Daido Moriyama’s Record is more than a photo book series — it is a lifelong diary, a moving archive of chaos, instinct, beauty, and the pulse of the street. When I flip through these volumes, I feel like I’m entering a private dialogue between Moriyama and the world. The images are not staged. They are not delicate. They are not structured in the classical sense. They are alive — vibrating with motion, tension, grit, and truth.
This post accompanies my full video flipthrough, a front-row seat into one of the greatest photographic projects ever made.
The Energy of Record
Moriyama’s world is one of fragments. Blurred gestures, blown highlights, stray dogs, reflections in shattered glass, neon signs smeared across the night. What makes Record so powerful is that it never pretends to be orderly. It embraces the rawness of seeing.
Photography, for Moriyama, is not about perfection — it’s about sensing. It’s about reacting. It’s about being alive in the moment of the shutter.
When you flip through these books, you aren’t just looking at pictures. You’re encountering a philosophy.
A Lifetime of Pages
Moriyama began Record in the early 1970s, paused the series for decades, and then resurrected it in the 2000s. The result is a monumental body of work that spans eras, cities, and emotional temperatures. The sequencing across each volume is fast, rhythmic, and unapologetically instinctive.
Blur, grain, flash, chaos — these are not defects. They are the language.
The books move like a heartbeat: tight, loose, quiet, explosive, whisper, scream, silence, neon, shadow.
This is the closest thing we have to walking through Moriyama’s mind.
Why Record Matters for Photographers Today
For anyone serious about street photography, Record is essential study material. It teaches lessons that no technical guide will ever reveal:
Shoot with instinct, not hesitation.
Let imperfection become energy.
Follow the rhythm of the street, not the rules of composition.
Allow yourself to see like a wanderer, not a planner.
Moriyama reminds us that photography is not about capturing what things look like — it’s about capturing what things feel like.
And feeling always arrives before thought.
Influence on Modern Street Photography
You can trace the DNA of Record through countless photographers today: the high contrast, the close flash, the frantic framing, the emphasis on flow rather than precision. The Provoke aesthetic, born in the late 1960s, finds its fullest expression in these books.
Moriyama pushed photography toward abstraction without ever losing its soul. He broke the rules so thoroughly that he created new ones.
And that’s why Record remains timeless.
Final Thoughts
Flipping through Record is like reading a diary without words. Every page is a whisper of the city. Every spread is a pulse of life. Every image is a reminder that photography is — at its core — a way of being.
Moriyama shows us that the camera is not a tool for control but a tool for surrender. To walk, to see, to react, to follow the flow of reality — that is the photographer’s task.
Record is proof that when you give yourself to the world fully, the world gives you images worthy of a lifetime.
I Published My Entire Photography Archive (13,000 Photos, Open & Verifiable)
What’s poppin, people. It’s Dante.
This morning I wanted to share something I’ve been quietly working on — something that feels important to me, both creatively and philosophically.
I’ve been building an open-source photography archive of my work.
Not a portfolio. Not a highlight reel. Not a curated “best of.”
Everything.
The Physical Reality
On my desk right now, I have an absurd stack of 13,000 4×6 prints. Tokyo behind me. Tokyo on my wall. Tokyo in my hands.
I’ve been slowly going through the work, touching it, living with it, seeing patterns, repetitions, mistakes. At the same time, I’ve been archiving the same material digitally — trying to solve a problem I’ve had for years:
How do I actually see my life’s work?
Not as a grid of hits. Not as social media posts. But as a continuous stream.
The Digital Solution
So here’s what I did.
I uploaded all 13,000 JPEG files, along with their metadata, to an Amazon AWS S3 bucket. Then I built a static HTML site — no database, no platform, no feed — just files and structure.
If you go to http://dantesisofo.com and click the new Flux tab, it takes you to:
flux.dantesisofo.com
That’s the archive.
It loads the photographs directly. You can tap an image, open it, download it, inspect it. On desktop or iPad, you get a carousel view. On iPhone, honestly, it’s even smoother — still tinkering with that.
But the point isn’t polish. The point is access.
Metadata, Truth, and Transparency
When you open a photo, you don’t just see the image.
You see:
Filename
Date
Shutter speed
ISO
Lens
File location
And one thing I highlight in yellow:
SHA-256
That’s a cryptographic hash — a fingerprint for the file.
This means something very simple:
You can verify that this photograph has not been altered since the day it was published.
Not one pixel changed. Not one re-export. Not one quiet tweak.
You can download the image. You can download the hash file. You can run it in Terminal yourself.
If it matches, it’s authentic. If it doesn’t, it fails.
That’s it.
Why Hash Photography?
Because I care about proof of work.
Because I care about honesty.
Because photography, historically, has always had a strange relationship with truth — and I wanted to plant a flag and say:
This is what I saw. This is how it existed. This is when it was published.
No mystique. No mythology. Just reality.
It’s probably unnecessary. It’s definitely nerdy. But I like it.
Timeline > Curation
The most important part of the archive isn’t the grid view.
It’s the timeline.
Year → Month → Day.
You can go to:
July 4, 2025
Coney Island
And see exactly what I made that day
Not what I liked later. Not what performed well. Not what fit a narrative.
Just the work.
Thousands of images, day by day, for nearly three years straight.
This was my real goal.
Why Publish Everything?
Because I don’t believe photography should only exist as “the best one.”
I don’t believe growth is visible in perfection.
I want you to see:
The misses
The repetitions
The bad frames
The experiments
The days where nothing worked
That’s where learning actually lives.
If you’ve been following my work, adopting techniques, thinking about seeing differently — this archive isn’t inspiration porn.
It’s study material.
Shooting Consistency (The Reality)
I ran the CSV.
I looked at the days photographed vs days missed.
Because I didn’t archive perfectly early on, the numbers aren’t exact — but it came out to roughly:
Nearly 1,000 days photographed
Around 90% hit rate
And honestly? It’s probably even higher.
That consistency matters more to me than any single image ever could.
Why Make This Public?
Because I don’t want to hide.
Because I don’t want to pretend.
Because I don’t want my work reduced to a feed.
This archive is frozen in time. Published as-is. Open to anyone.
This archive contains 300 photographs that represent my foundation as a photographer. This is the work I made before Flux, before the black-and-white turn, before my current way of seeing. It’s the past — and I wanted to put it somewhere honest, complete, and transparent.
Why I Released the Archive
I reached a point where I could no longer relate to the photographer who made these images.
That disconnect is strange. You look at photographs you once cared deeply about and feel nothing — or feel like someone else made them. I didn’t want to sit with that tension anymore.
So instead of endlessly revisiting the work, sequencing it again and again, or forcing it into a book prematurely, I decided to publish the archive itself.
Not a highlight reel. Not a curated illusion. The actual archive.
This was a way to mentally declutter, to close a chapter, and to move forward.
How the Archive Works
The archive is designed to be simple, fast, and functional.
Single-column scroll by default — just images, one after another
A timeline that lets you jump by year, month, or exact date
List view for technical inspection
Carousel view for focused image viewing
When you click on an image, you can inspect the full metadata recorded at the time the photo was made.
Full Metadata, RAW Files, and Transparency
Every photograph includes:
File name
Date
Location
Camera
Lens
Focal length
Aperture
ISO
Shutter speed
Alongside each JPEG, I’ve included the original RAW file.
You can:
Open the JPEG
Save it directly
Download the full-resolution RAW file (often ~50MB)
See the image without processing
This is a real archive — negatives included.
Cryptographic Verification (SHA-256)
Each JPEG in the archive includes a SHA-256 hash embedded into the system.
What that means:
Every image has a unique cryptographic fingerprint
You can click Verify and confirm the file has not been altered since publication
If even one pixel changes, verification fails
This isn’t about paranoia. It’s about proof of integrity.
The file you see is the file that was published — no revisions, no silent edits, no ambiguity.
Open, Downloadable, and Verifiable
This archive is intentionally:
Open access
Downloadable
Verifiable
Static and durable
No accounts. No paywalls. No algorithms.
Just photographs, published honestly.
Built From Scratch
I built this archive using:
Static HTML
Amazon S3
CloudFront
DNS via Bluehost
No CMS. No plugins. No database.
It’s fast, minimal, and designed to last.
A Decade of Work, Now Public
This color archive exists alongside my Flux Archive — over 13,000 black-and-white photographs from 2022–2025, published openly at:
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante here, watching the sun rise this morning in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
The trail is beautiful, the sky is clear, and there’s not a cloud in sight. Days like this remind me to hold my head up high and simply be grateful for another day.
I’ve got a view of City Hall, the skyline of Philadelphia beyond the trees, and the chaos of traffic on I-76 in the distance. Everyone’s rushing—rushing to work, rushing to get somewhere. But me? I’m just gonna be still and take it all in.
The Sounds and Sensations of Morning
I’m tuning in to the sounds of the birds, the wind, and the crisp feeling of the cold air. The sun is rising, its rays shooting out and growing brighter. It’s always a surprise, each and every day, when you set it up with gratitude.
“This attitude really fuels you with abundance.”
I’m grateful for:
Food in my fridge
The sun coming out to play
Water to drink
The ability to walk and move
Watching the leaves fall from the trees
This, to me, is what life is all about.
Stripping Away Distractions
In today’s world, there are so many distractions. You’ve got to strip away the things that clutter your mind. Be mindful of what you allow into your vision and ears.
“What are you listening to? What are you seeing? What is going on in the world that’s distracting you?”
For me, that means no TV, no news, no radio—just silence. I don’t want the noise. I just want to be.
Perception Shapes Reality
How you start your day shapes everything. Wake up feeling isolated, anxious, or depressed, and it’ll feel like you’re fighting the world. But start your morning with gratitude, and everything feels like an upside.
“Our perception is what shapes our reality.”
The external world may seem out of our control, but we can control how we see it. Spend time in nature. Surround yourself with beauty. Appreciate the small things.
The Ultimate Currency: Time
To me, time is the ultimate currency. It’s the one thing we spend that we can’t get back. Life is short, so why not treat each day like it’s your last?
“Treat each day with the spirit of play.”
And as the sun rises fully above the horizon, I just stand here, gazing out and taking it all in. The rays of light shoot out bigger and brighter, filling me with a sense of awe.
Morning Reflections
Today’s a beautiful day. I’m just sharing these thoughts, these sounds, these sensations. It’s about slowing down, being present, and appreciating life in its simplest form.
Subject: Embracing Bitcoin for a Better Philadelphia
Dear Councilman Kenyatta Johnson,
Philadelphia has the opportunity to lead the nation by adopting Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset. This bold move could bring economic innovation, support public infrastructure, and address pressing community challenges.
Why Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a decentralized and transparent store of value with immense potential. Cities like Miami have shown that embracing Bitcoin attracts investment, creates jobs, and strengthens financial stability. For Philadelphia, Bitcoin could:
Build long-term financial resilience.
Position the city as a hub for tech innovation.
Generate funds for public projects and community programs.
Enhancing Public Transit
Introducing a SEPTA cryptocurrency token could transform how we fund and use public transit. This innovative approach could:
Streamline fare payments and reduce costs.
Incentivize greener commuting options.
Improve safety and infrastructure through generated revenue.
Addressing Key Challenges
Philadelphia faces critical issues, including gun violence and homelessness. Revenue from Bitcoin reserves could fund:
Violence prevention initiatives and community programs.
Housing and job training for the homeless.
Public safety and mental health resources.
A Green and Modern Future
Bitcoin mining can be powered by renewable energy, aligning with Philadelphia’s goal of becoming one of the greenest cities in America. Revenue from Bitcoin could fund urban greening projects, clean energy initiatives, and sustainable infrastructure.
A Call to Action
By adopting Bitcoin and exploring a SEPTA token, Philadelphia can lead in financial innovation, sustainability, and community development. Let’s make our city a beacon of progress and opportunity.
I used to live a very simple life, despite living in a chaotic city like Philadelphia. I enjoy waking up early around 4 AM, drinking coffee, doing some research and studies, writing, reading, and spend the majority of my day in a garden. I enjoy spending my time in a garden because I feel best. Honestly, it’s as simple as that. I actually believe that Maybe some people are just meant for certain ways of life and I’m certainly made for nature.P
I don’t need no praise, I don’t need no fame, I don’t need no money, I do it for the game! Y’all are just some lames, same same. You couldn’t compose a picture if your life was on the line. You’d probably rather sit at home watching gear videos online. I wield the light as my medium and let my ego shine. You wish you had my confidence but you’ll be crushed in the shadows and left behind.
The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous sections of the New Testament, found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7. Here is the entire sermon:
Matthew 5
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount:
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
The Beatitudes:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Salt and Light:
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Anger:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Lust:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
Divorce:
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Oaths:
“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’
But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
Retaliation:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
Love Your Enemies:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 6
Giving to the Needy:
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
The Lord’s Prayer:
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Pray then like this:
**”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”**
**For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Fasting:
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Do Not Be Anxious:
25. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26. Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27. And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
28. And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
29. yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32. For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 7
Judging Others:
1. “Judge not, that you be not judged.
2. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
3. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4. Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?
5. You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6. Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”
Ask, and It Will Be Given:
7. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
9. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10. Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12. So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
The Golden Rule:
13. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
A Tree and Its Fruit:
15. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17. So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
18. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
19. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
I Never Knew You:
21. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23. And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Build Your House on the Rock:
24. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The Authority of Jesus:
28. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
29. for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
This concludes the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.
