Shigemori supposedly mumbled that 'if I try to be faithful to the Emperor, I cannot be a good son, and if I try to be a good son, then I cannot be faithful to the Emperor (Nihon gaishi),' but it is not certain if this is historical fact. However, since in Gukansho he also left words of hopelessness saying that 'I want to die early,' he may have actually said it considering the fact that he was powerless standing between Kiyomori and Goshirakawa who were in conflict with each other.
重盛がつぶやいたという「忠ならんと欲すれば孝ならず、孝ならんとすれば欲すれば忠ならず」（『日本外史』）の言葉も史実かどうかは不明だが、『愚管抄』でも重盛は「トク死ナバヤ（早く死にたいものだ）」と生きることに望みを失った言葉を残しており、清盛と後白河の対立の中で無力であった状況を考えれば、あり得ない話ではない。