The perfect man of old looked after himself first before looking to help others.
ZHUANGZIIf water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation.
More Zhuangzi Quotes
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Never admire a man by his strength; judge him in how he uses it- A way is made by walking it.
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The little child learns to speak, though it has no learned teachers – because it lives with those who know how to speak.
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One whose inner being is fixed upon such greatness emits a Heavenly glow. Even though he has this Heavenly glow, others will see him as just a man. Someone who has reached this point will begin to be consistent.
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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.
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But you now, you wear your soul on your sleeve, exhausting your energy, propping yourself up on a tree, mumbling, or bent over your desk, asleep. Heaven gives you a form and you wear it out by pointless argument.
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Perfect happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.
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All the fish needs is to get lost in the water. All man needs is to get lost in Tao.
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The creature born is the creature dying.
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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.
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And how do I know that the hate of death is not like a man who has lost his home when young and does not know where his home is to return to?
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I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.
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When deeds and words are in accord, the whole world is transformed.
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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?
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Where can I find a man who has forgotten words, so I can have a few words with him?
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My opinion is that you never find happiness until you stop looking for it.
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Either in conflict with others or in harmony with them, we go through life like a runaway horse, unable to stop.
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The right way to go easy is to forget the right way.
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Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy.
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The perfect man employs his mind as a mirror.
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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.
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Standards are different for all things, so the standard set by man is by no means the only ‘certain’ standard. If you mistake what is relative for something certain, you have strayed far from the ultimate truth.
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Words exist because of meaning; once you’ve gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.
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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.
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Everything has what is innate,everything has what is necessary.
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To have a human form is a joyful thing.
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A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean.
ZHUANGZI