“Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly. A butterfly fluttering happily around— was he revealing what he himself meant to be? He knew nothing of Zhou. All at once awakening, there suddenly he was — Zhou. But he didn't know if he was Zhou having dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhou. Between Zhou and the butterfly there must surely be some distinction. This is known at the transformation of things.”
Quote by Zhuangzi
Work
Chuang-Tzu: The Inner Chapters
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
Zhuangzi
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. more
You May Also Like
Source: Kafka on the Shore
“The absence of anger-pride-deceit-greed has been referred to as Charitra (Conduct of the Self).”