Quotessence
Home / Authors / Lin Yutang
Lin Yutang

Lin Yutang Quotes

Writer

Filter quotes by topic

AllMenWorldHumansPhilosophyIfsThinkingLifeMindPeopleWise

Famous Lin Yutang Quotes

“In fact,I believe the reason why the Chinese failed to develop botany and zoology is that the Chinese scholar cannot stare coldly and unemotionally at a fish without immediately thinking of how it tastes in the mouth and wanting to eat it. The reason I don't trust Chinese surgeons is that I am afraid that when a Chinese surgeon cuts up my liver in search of a gall-stone, he may forget about the stone and put my liver in a frying pan.”

ThinkingBelieveMayReasonFactsI BelieveForgetCuttingTasteMouthsStonesFishesChineseStaringReason WhyScholarSurgeonsDon't TrustLiverFryingBotanyZoologyFrying Pans
Book:The Importance of Living
Create image

“India was China's teacher in religion and imaginative literature, and the world's teacher in trignometry, quandratic equations, grammar, phonetics, Arabian Nights, animal fables, chess, as well as in philosophy, and that she inspired Boccaccio, Goethe, Herder, Schopenhauer, Emerson, and probably also old Aesop.”

WorldWellsPhilosophyNightLiteratureAnimalTeacherIndiaInspiredChinaChessEquationsGrammarImaginativeFablesArabianArabian NightsPhonetics
Author:Lin Yutang
Create image

“All men and women have passions, natural desires and noble ambitions, and also a conscience; they have sex, hunger, fear, anger, and are subject to sickness, pain, suffering and death. Culture consists of bringing about the expression of these passions and desires in harmony.”

MenPainDesireSufferingCulturePassionSexNaturalSubjectsExpressionAmbitionConscienceMen And WomenHarmonyHungerNobleSicknessSuffering And DeathPain SufferingPassion And Desire
Book:The Importance of Living
Create image

“After all the allowances are made for the necessity of having a few supermen in our midst - explorers, conquerors, great inventors, great presidents, heroes who change the course of history - the happiest man is still the man of the middle class who has earned a slight means of economic independence, who has done a little, but just a little, for mankind and who is slightly distinguished in his community, but not too distinguished.”

MenMeanLittlesMadeStillsDoneCoursesPresidentCommunityClassEconomicMiddleMankindHe ManHeroIndependenceMiddle ClassMidstDistinguishedInventorConquerorExplorersAllowanceGreat PresidentsHappiest ManEconomic IndependenceGreat Inventors
Author:Lin Yutang
Create image

“How many of us are able to distinguish between the odors of noon and midnight, or of winter and summer, or of a windy spell and a still one? If man is so generally less happy in the cities than in the country, it is because all these variations and nuances of sight and smell and sound are less clearly marked and lost in the general monotony of gray walls and cement pavements.”

IfsMenStillsCountryAbleLostSoundCitiesWallSummerSightWinterSmellGraySpellsMidnightVariationNoonNuanceCementMonotonyPavementOdorWindy
Book:Lin Yutang - The Importance Of Living
Create image

“Once Confucius was walking on the mountains and he came across a woman weeping by a grave. He asked the woman what here sorrow was, and she replied, We are a family of hunters. My father was eaten by a tiger. My husband was bitten by a tiger and died. And now my only son! Why don't you move down and live in the valley? Why do you continue to live up here? asked Confucius. And the woman replied, But sir, there are no tax collectors here! Confucius added to his disciples, You see, a bad government is more to be feared than tigers.”

GovernmentMovingFatherSonWalkingSorrowHusbandMountainTaxesDiedDown AndGravesMy HusbandValleysDiscipleTigersHuntersTaxationWeepingCollectorsBad GovernmentOnly Son
Author:Lin Yutang
Create image

“So much of unhappiness, it seems to me, is due to nerves; and bad nerves are the result of having nothing to do, or doing a thing badly, unsuccessfully or incompetently. Of all the unhappy people in the world, the unhappiest are those who have not found something they want to do. True happiness comes to those who do their work well, followed by a refreshing period of rest. True happiness comes from the right amount of work for the day.”

PeopleWorldWantWellsSeemsFoundWorkResultsAmountPeriodsDuesUnhappyUnhappinessNervesTrue HappinessRefreshingHappy PeopleUnhappy People
Author:Lin Yutang
Create image

“There is a great probability that our loss of capacity for enjoying the positive joys of life is largely due to the decreased sensibility of our senses and our lack of full use of them. All human happiness is sensuous happiness.”

MindHumansPhilosophyUseBodyLife IsJoyEnjoyLossPsychologyCapacityMedicineDuesSensesSensibilityProbabilityJoy Of LifeSomaSensuousHuman Happiness
Book:Lin Yutang - The Importance Of Living
Create image