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Zhuangzi

Zhuangzi Quotes

Philosopher

Zhuangzi, also known as Zhou, was a renowned philosopher during the Warring States period in China. As an important representative of the Taoist school, his philosophy emphasized the harmony with nature and the principle of 'wu wei' (non-action), which had a profound impact on later philosophy and culture.

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All Men Taoism Tao Knows Ifs Mind Heaven Way All Things Doe

Famous Zhuangzi Quotes

“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.”

Men Mind Lost Originals Charity Devotion Ceremony

Author:Zhuangzi

“To have a human form is a joyful thing.”

Humans Form Joy Joyful Human Form

Author:Zhuangzi

“That knowledge which stops at what it does not know, is the highest knowledge.”

Knows Doe Science Highest

Author:Zhuangzi

“If you wish to care for your body, first of all take care of material things, though even when you have all the things you want, the body can still be uncared for”

Ifs Want Firsts Stills Body Care Wish Materials Take Care Your Body Material Things Care For You

Author:Zhuangzi

“The sage has the sun and moon by his side and the universe under his arm. He blends everything into a harmonious whole. . . . He blends the disparities of ten thousand years into one complete purity. All things are blended like this and mutually involve each other.”

Years Whole Universe Sides Sun Arms Thousand Moon Ten All Things Purity Thousand Years Sage Harmonious Disparity

Author:Zhuangzi

“The men of old breathed clear down to their heels.”

Men Clear He Man Breathing Heels

Author:Zhuangzi

“Breathing control gives man strength, vitality, inspiration, and magic powers.”

Men Giving Inspiration Magic Breathing Vitality Magic Powers

Author:Zhuangzi

“When the shoe fits, the foot is forgotten; when the belt fits, the belly is forgotten; when the heart is right, "for" and "against" are forgotten. There is no change in what is inside, no following what is outside, when the adjustment to events is comfortable. One begins with what is comfortable and never experiences what is uncomfortable, when one knows the comfort of forgetting what is comfortable.”

Knows Heart Forget Feet Events Fit Comfort Comfortable Shoes Forgotten Following Uncomfortable Contentment Belly Belts Adjustment

Author:Zhuangzi

“The knowledge of the ancients reached the highest point-the time before anything existed. This is the highest point. It is exhaustive. There is no adding to it.”

Creation Highest

Author:Zhuangzi

“I was given life because it was my time, and now I take leave of it according to the same law. Content with the natural sequence of these events, I am touched neither by joy nor by grief. I am simply hanging in the air ... incapable of freeing myself, tied by the threads of things.”

Law Death Joy Given Natural Grief Air Events My Time Touched Tied Thread Incapable Sequence Given Life

Author:Zhuangzi

“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?”

Men Death Cases Return Over It Bows Mourn

Author:Zhuangzi

“He who dreams ... does not know he is dreaming... . Only when he awakens does he know he has dreamt. But there is also the great awakening (ta-chiao), and then we see that [everything] here is nothing but a great dream. Of course, the fools believe that they are already awake-what foolishness! Confucius and you, both of you, are dreams; and I, who tell you this, am also a dream.”

Knows Believe Doe Dream Courses Fool Awakening Awake Foolishness

Author:Zhuangzi

“If we look on heaven and earth as a single crucible, and on the creator as the founder, would there be any place I could not go? When it is time, I will fall asleep, and when the right time comes, I will wake up again.”

Ifs Looks Earth Fall Heaven Fate Wake Up Creator Founders Right Time Heaven And Earth Crucible

Author:Zhuangzi

“When I look at what the world does and where people nowadays believe they can find happiness, I am not sure that that is true happiness. The happiness of these ordinary people seems to consist in slavishly imitating the majority, as if this were their only choice. And yet they all believe they are happy. I cannot decide whether that is happiness or not. Is there such a thing as happiness?”

People Ifs World Believe Looks Doe Seems Happiness Choices Ordinary Majority Not Sure Ordinary People True Happiness Finding Happiness Imitating

Author:Zhuangzi

“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.”

Knows Men Passion Strong Four Expression Thousand Ten Creatures Limits Spring Dignity Seasons Harmony Warm Arise Autumn Serenity Strong Will True Man Strong Willed Demeanor Four Seasons

Author:Zhuangzi

“Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy”

Littles Understanding Busy Broads

Book:The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

Source: The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

“Horses have hoofs to carry them over frost and snow; hair, to protect them from wind and cold. They eat grass and drink water, and fling up their heels.... Such is the real nature of horses.”

Real Water Wind Hair Cold Drink Protect Horse Snow Grass Heels Frost Fling Drink Water

Book:Teachings and Sayings of Chuang Tzu

Source: Teachings and Sayings of Chuang Tzu

“For all people 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.”

People Knows Knowledge Strive Chaos Discredit

Author:Zhuangzi

“For we can only know that we know nothing, and a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

Knows Littles Knowledge Dangerous Dangerous Things Little Knowledge

Author:Zhuangzi

“Human life is limited, but knowledge is limitless. To drive the limited in pursuit of the limitless is fatal; and to presume that one really knows is fatal indeed!”

Knows Humans Life Is Knowledge Pursuit Human Life Limitless

Author:Zhuangzi

“There may be difficulty at the moment, but I will not lose the Virtue that I possess. It is when the ice and snow are on them that we see the strength of the cypress and the pine. I am grateful for this trouble around me, because it gives me an opportunity to realize how fortunate I am.”

Giving May Moments Problem Opportunity Realizing Loses Virtue Trouble Give Me Difficulty Grateful Snow Ice Fortunate I Am Grateful Cypresses Ice And Snow

Author: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.”

People Want Littles Forget Seeing Awareness Return All Things Ghost Division Dislike Tao Fullness Hold Fast Multiplication

Author:Zhuangzi

About the Author

Born: 369 BC
Died: 286 BC
Known for: Philosopher
Quotes: 272

Related Topics

Men Taoism Tao Knows Ifs Mind Heaven Way All Things Doe

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Complete Works of Chuang TzuRelated source material

Chuang tsu: Inner chaptersRelated source material

Teachings and Sayings of Chuang TzuRelated source material

The Book of Chuang TzuRelated source material

Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings: With Selections from Traditional CommentariesRelated source material

Art-as-art: The Selected Writings of Ad ReinhardtRelated source material

Chuan Tsu: Inner ChaptersRelated source material

Chuang Tzu: The Inner ChaptersRelated source material

Chuang-Tzu: The Inner ChaptersRelated source material

Musings of a Chinese Mystic: Selections from the Philosophy of Chuang TzŭRelated source material

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