black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous.

Zhuangzi

A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean.
ZHUANGZI

Deep Ocean One Liner
Good order results spontaneously when things are let alone.
ZHUANGZI

Alone Goodness Result
He who pursues fame at the risk of losing his self is not a scholar.
ZHUANGZI

Fame Fear Pursue Risk Scholar
The men of old breathed clear down to their heels.
ZHUANGZI

Breathe Clear Man Old
If one is true to one’s inner self, and follows its wisdom, who is without a teacher?
ZHUANGZI

Deep Follow Teacher True Wisdom
To exercise no-thought and rest in nothing is the first step toward resting in Tao. To start from nowhere and follow no road is the first step toward attaining Tao.
ZHUANGZI

Beginning End Exercise Flow Religious Road Spirituality Thinking
The effect of life in society is to complicate and confuse our existence, making us forget who we really are by causing us to become obsessed with what we are not.
ZHUANGZI

Complication Confusion Effect Existence Forget Life Obsession Ourselves Society
Each one’s destiny cannot be altered.
ZHUANGZI

Change Destiny One Liner Oneself
The wise man knows that it is better to sit on the banks of a remote mountain stream than to be emperor of the whole world.
ZHUANGZI

Better Choice King Man Position Stream Wisdom World
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
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
Perfect happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.
ZHUANGZI

Absence Happiness Perfection Wisdom
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?
ZHUANGZI

Death Hate Lost Man Myself Name Return Young
Birth is not a beginning; death is not an end. There is existence without limitation; there is continuity without a starting point.
ZHUANGZI

Beginning Born Death Existence Limitation Philosophy Spiritual Start
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
All existing things are really one. We regard those that are beautiful and rare as valuable, and those that are ugly as foul and rotten. The foul and rotten may come to be transformed into what is rare and valuable, and the rare and valuable into what is foul and rotten.
ZHUANGZI

Beautiful Existence Rare Regard Transformation Ugly Value
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
During our dreams we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream. Only after the great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream.
ZHUANGZI

Awakening Dreams Greatness Realize Wake Up
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
True depth of understanding is wide and steady, Shallow understanding is lazy and wandering, Words of wisdom are precise and clear.
ZHUANGZI

Clear Precise Shallow True Understand Wisdom Word
The little child learns to speak, though it has no learned teachers – because it lives with those who know how to speak.
ZHUANGZI

Children Deep Learning Live Talk Teacher
Sound intelligence promises victory in every battle.
ZHUANGZI

Battle Intelligence Promise Sound Victory
If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind.
ZHUANGZI

Calm Mindset Water
Birth is not the beginning, Death is not the end.
ZHUANGZI

Beginning Born Death End
Silence, and non action are the root of all things.
ZHUANGZI

Action Root Silence
Good fortune is as light as a feather, but nobody knows how to pick it up. Misfortune is as heavy as earth, but nobody knows how to stay out of it’s way.
ZHUANGZI

Earth Fortune Goodness heavy Stay Way
To go outside what your charge was, and to try to solve everything yourself, is dangerous.
ZHUANGZI

Charge Dangerous Solution Yourself

Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Zhuangzi Quotes