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Zhuang Zhou Quotes
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Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without; for much knowledge is a curse.
Zhuang Zhou
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I do not know whether it was Chou dreaming that he was a butterfly or the butterfly dreaming that it was Chou.
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Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious.
Zhuang Zhou
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For all men strive to grasp what they do not know, while none strive to grasp what they already know; and all strive to discredit what they do not excel in, while none strive to discredit what they do excel in. This is why there is chaos.
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All men know the utility of useful things; but they do not know the utility of futility.
Zhuang Zhou
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Men of this world all rejoice in others being like themselves, and object to others not being like themselves.
Zhuang Zhou
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There is no bandit so powerful as Nature.
The interaction of the positive and the negative principles, which produces the visible universe.
In the whole universe there is no escape from it.
Zhuang Zhou
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Banish wisdom, discard knowledge, and gangsters will stop!
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Men of the world who value the Way all turn to books. But books are nothing more than words. Words have value; what is of value in words is meaning. Meaning has something it is pursuing, but the thing that it is pursuing cannot be put into words and handed down. The world values words and hands down books but, though the world values them, I do not think them worth valuing. What the world takes to be values is not real value.
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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.
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Those who seek to satisfy the mind of man by hampering it with ceremonies and music and affecting charity and devotion have lost their original nature.
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The fish trap exists because of the fish. Once you've gotten the fish you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit. Once you've gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning. Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?
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Once Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Chuang Chou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakeable Chuang Chou. But he didn't know if he was Chuang Chou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Chou.
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Beneath multiple specific and individual distinctions, beneath innumerable and incessant transformations, at the bottom of the circular evolution without beginning or end, there hides a law, a unique nature participated in by all beings, in which this common participation produces a ground of common harmony.
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You cannot speak of ocean to a well-frog, the creature of a narrower sphere. You cannot speak of ice to a summer insect, the creature of a season.
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Let your mind wander in simplicity, blend your spirit with the vastness, follow along with things the way they are, and make no room for personal views-then the world will be governed.
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In the days of perfect nature, man lived together with birds and beasts, and there was no distinction of their kind... they were in a state of natural integrity.... When Sages appeared, crawling for charity and limping with duty, doubt and confusion entered men's minds.... Destruction of Tao and virtue in order to introduce charity and duty—this is the error of the Sages.
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Take, for instance, a twig and a pillar, or the ugly person and the great beauty, and all the strange and monstrous transformations. These are all leveled together by Tao. Division is the same as creation; creation is the same as destruction.
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Heaven cannot but be high. Earth cannot but be broad. The sun and moon cannot but revolve. All creation cannot but flourish. To do so is their TAO. But it is not from extensive study that this may be known, nor by dialectical skill that his may be made clear. The true sage will have none of these.
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Quote of the day
Ultimately, America's answer to the intolerant man is diversity, the very diversity which our heritage of religious freedom has inspired.
Robert F. Kennedy
Zhuang Zhou
Creative Commons
Born:
369 BC
Died:
286 BC
(aged 83)
Bio:
Zhuang Zhou, often known as Zhuangzi was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BC
Known for:
Zhuangzi
The Inner Chapters
Chuang tsu: Inner chapters
Das wahre Buch vom südlichen Blütenland
Most used words:
butterfly
dreaming
chou
man
nature
chuang
forget
meaning
strive
rabbit
creation
mind
tail
fish
wisdom
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