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Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy.

Zhuangzi

Men do not mirror themselves in running water – they mirror themselves in still water. Only what is still can still the stillness of other things.
ZHUANGZI

Deep Man Mirror Run Water
He who knows he is a fool is not the biggest fool; He who knows he is confused is not in the worst confusion.
ZHUANGZI

Aware Confusion Fools Worst
The man who has some respect for his person keeps his carcass out of sight, hides himself as perfectly as he can.
ZHUANGZI

Hide Himself Man Perfection Person Respect Sight
The perfect man of old looked after himself first before looking to help others.
ZHUANGZI

Help Man Old Perfection
Being is thoughtless-beyond and beneath all categories of thought. Expression is the realization of creative thought. Being is still; expression, moving. But then if I do not strive, who will?
ZHUANGZI

Beyond Creativity Expression Myself Realize Thinking Willing
The saying goes, ‘The sage rests, truly rests and is at ease.’ This manifests itself in calmness and detachment, so that worries and distress cannot affect him, nothing unpleasant can disturb him, his Virtue is complete and his spirit is not stirred up.
ZHUANGZI

Calm Compete Complete Disturb Ease Manifestation Priest Rest Sage Virtue
Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous.
ZHUANGZI

Generous Greatness Passion Small Speech Wisdom
The space under the sky is occupied by all things in their unity.
ZHUANGZI

Occupy Sky Space Unity
If the Way is made clear, it is not the Way.
ZHUANGZI

Journey Path Way
There is a beginning. There is no beginning of that beginning. There is something. There is nothing.
ZHUANGZI

Beginning Philosophy
The ten thousand things belong to one storehouse and life and death share the same body.
ZHUANGZI

Body Death Life Share Store
If one is true to one’s inner self, and follows its wisdom, who is without a teacher?
ZHUANGZI

Deep Follow Teacher True Wisdom
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
A petty thief is put in jail. A great brigand becomes a ruler of a Nation.
ZHUANGZI

Greatness Nation Prison Rule
Never admire a man by his strength; judge him in how he uses it- A way is made by walking it.
ZHUANGZI

Admire Judgement Man Strength Walk Way
The eye is a menace to clear sight, the ear is a menace to subtle hearing, the mind is a menace to wisdom, every organ of the senses is a menace to its own capacity.
ZHUANGZI

Capacity Clear Eyes Mindset Organ Wisdom
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
To go outside what your charge was, and to try to solve everything yourself, is dangerous.
ZHUANGZI

Charge Dangerous Solution Yourself
The Tao is in all things, in their divisions and their fullness. What I dislike about divisions is that they multiply, and what i dislike about multiplication is that it makes people want to hold fast to it. So people go out and forget to return, seeing little more than ghosts.
ZHUANGZI

Division Fast Forget Hold People Return See
When an archer shoots for enjoyment, he has all his skill; when he shoots for a brass buckle, he gets nervous; when he shoots for a prize of gold, he begins to see two targets.
ZHUANGZI

Beginning Enjoyment Himself Nervous Skill Target
The creature born is the creature dying.
ZHUANGZI

Born Creature Death
Life comes from the earth and life returns to the earth.
ZHUANGZI

Earth Life Nature Return
Perfect happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.
ZHUANGZI

Absence Happiness Perfection Wisdom
Transmit the established facts; do not transmit words of exaggeration. If you do that, you will probably come out all right.
ZHUANGZI

Establishment Fact Right Word Yourself
Are you and I perchance caught up in a dream from which we have not yet awakened?
ZHUANGZI

Awake Dreams Myself Yourself
Running around accusing others is not as good as laughing. And enjoying a good laugh is not as good as going along with things.
ZHUANGZI

Enjoyment Goodness Laughter Run

Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy.

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Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy.

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