black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

You are still guided by your expectations.

Zhuangzi

Human life is limited, but knowledge is limitless. To drive the limited in pursuit of the limitless is fatal; and to presume that one really knows is fatal indeed!
ZHUANGZI

Death Drive Human Knowledge Life Limitation Oneself Pursuit
If you have insight, you use your inner eye, your inner ear, to pierce to the heart of things, and have no need of intellectual knowledge.
ZHUANGZI

Heart Insight Intellectual Knowledge Pierce
The sage has the sun and moon by his side and the universe under his arm. He blends everything into a harmonious whole. . . . He blends the disparities of ten thousand years into one complete purity. All things are blended like this and mutually involve each other.
ZHUANGZI

Complete Each Other Harmony Involve Moon Purity Sage Sun Universe
If you have grasped the purpose of life there is no point in trying to make life into something it is not or cannot be.
ZHUANGZI

Life Point Purpose
True men” are strong willed, have dignity in their demeanor, serenity in their expression. They are cool like autumn, warm like spring. Their passions arise like the four seasons, in harmony with the ten thousand creatures, and no one knows their limits.
ZHUANGZI

Creature Dignity Expression Harmony Inspirational Man Passion Peace Season Strong True Warm
He who regards all things as one is a companion of Nature.
ZHUANGZI

Himself Infinite Nature Oneself Regard Whole
He who pursues fame at the risk of losing his self is not a scholar.
ZHUANGZI

Fame Fear Pursue Risk Scholar
Heaven does without doing through its purity, Earth does without doing through its calmness.
ZHUANGZI

Calm Earth Heaven Purity
The space under the sky is occupied by all things in their unity.
ZHUANGZI

Occupy Sky Space Unity
So if loss of what gives happiness causes you distress when it fades, you can now understand that such happiness is worthless. It is said, those who lose themselves in their desire for things also lose their innate nature by being vulgar.
ZHUANGZI

Desire Fade Happiness Loss Nature Vulgar Worth
Men of this world all rejoice in others being like themselves, and object to others not being like themselves.
ZHUANGZI

Acceptance Man Object Reality Rejoice Tolerance World
To be constant is to be useful. To be useful is to realize one’s true nature. Realization of one’s true nature is happiness. When one reaches happiness, one is close to perfection.
ZHUANGZI

Constant Happiness Nature Oneself Perfection Realize
Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly.
ZHUANGZI

Butterfly Dreams Himself Incarnation
The men of old breathed clear down to their heels.
ZHUANGZI

Breathe Clear Man Old
Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it.
ZHUANGZI

Beyond Dependent Honor Knowledge Lying Man
The living all find death unpleasant; men mourn over it. And yet, what is death, but the unbending of the bow and its return to its case?
ZHUANGZI

Case Death Finding Live Pleasant Return

You are still guided by your expectations.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

You are still guided by your expectations.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Zhuangzi Quotes