A Japanese proverb has been the source of inspiration for Oklahoma during its push for an NCAA Tournament berth, and it has provided the Sooners with a lesson they hope to carry into March Madness.

Books of proverbs and aphorisms abound, with their sources ranging from the 17th-century French moralist Francois de La Rochefoucauld to the Japanese author Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927 ...