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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

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
There is danger for the eye in seeing too clearly, danger for the ear in hearing too sharply and danger to the heart from caring too greatly.
ZHUANGZI

Clear Dangerous Eyes Greatness Heart Sharp
A path is made by walking on it.
ZHUANGZI

Inspirational Journey One Liner Path Walk
Great knowledge is universal. Small knowledge is limited. Great words are inspiring; small words are chatter.
ZHUANGZI

Greatness Inspirational Knowledge Limitation Literature Poet Small Universe Value
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
He who regards all things as one is a companion of Nature.
ZHUANGZI

Himself Infinite Nature Oneself Regard Whole
He who does his work like a machine grows a heart like a machine and he who carries the heart of a machine in his breast loses his simplicity. He who has lost his simplicity becomes unsure in the strivings of his soul.
ZHUANGZI

Carry Growth Himself Lose Machine Work
The sound of water says what I think.
ZHUANGZI

Myself Sound Thinking Water
Heaven does without doing through its purity, Earth does without doing through its calmness.
ZHUANGZI

Calm Earth Heaven Purity
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
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
The true man breathes with his heels.
ZHUANGZI

Breathe Heel Man One Liner Philosophy True
All men know the utility of useful things; but they do not know the utility of futility.
ZHUANGZI

Known Men Utility
We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it. Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away.
ZHUANGZI

Gradual Opinion Ourselves Perspective Point View
For we can only know that we know nothing, and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
ZHUANGZI

Dangerous Knowledge Known
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.
ZHUANGZI

Argument Energy Exhaust Form Heaven Point Soul Tree
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
To be truly ignorant, be content with your own knowledge.
ZHUANGZI

Ignorance Knowledge True Yourself
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
Are you and I perchance caught up in a dream from which we have not yet awakened?
ZHUANGZI

Awake Dreams Myself Yourself
When the heart is right, “for” and “against” are forgotten.
ZHUANGZI

Forget Heart Right
Each one’s destiny cannot be altered.
ZHUANGZI

Change Destiny One Liner Oneself
To have attained to the human form is a source of joy. What an incomparable bliss it is to undergo these countless transitions.
ZHUANGZI

Bliss Count Form Happiness Human Joy Source Transition
Either in conflict with others or in harmony with them, we go through life like a runaway horse, unable to stop.
ZHUANGZI

Conflict Harmony Life Stop
My opinion is that you never find happiness until you stop looking for it.
ZHUANGZI

Finding Happiness Opinion Stop Yourself
Right is not right; so is not so. If right were really right it would differ so clearly from not right that there would be no need for argument. If so were really so, it would differ so clearly from not so that there would be no need for argument.
ZHUANGZI

Argument Clear Difference Need Right
If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind.
ZHUANGZI

Calm Mindset Water

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.

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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.

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