Top 244 Quotes & Sayings by Zhuangzi

All existing things are really one. We regard those that are beautiful and rare as valuable, and those that are ugly as foul and rotten The foul and rotten may come to be transformed into what is rare and valuable, and the rare and valuable into what is foul and rotten.

I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.

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.

Rewards and punishments are the lowest form of education.

Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness.

I know the joy of fishes in the river through my own joy, as I go walking along the same river.

Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word with him?

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.

For the wise man looks into space and he knows there is no limited dimensions.

I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?

Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous.

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.

Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without; for much knowledge is a curse.

Life comes from the earth and life returns to the earth.

Those who realize their folly are not true fools.

Men honor what lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it.

The enlightened attention rejects nothing nor welcomes anything-like a mirror it responds equally to all.

Never admire a man by his strength; judge him in how he uses it- A way is made by walking it

We are born from a quiet sleep, and we die to a calm awakening

Do not let the artificial obliterate the natural; do not let will obliterate destiny; do not let virtue be sacrificed to fame.

If the Way is made clear, it is not the Way.

The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror. It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing. It receives but does not keep.

My opinion is that you never find happiness until you stop looking for it.

Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.

Goods and possessions are no gain in his eyes. He stays far from wealth and honor. Long life is no ground for joy, nor early death for sorrow. Success is not for him to be pround of, failure is no shame. Had he all the world's power he would not hold it as his own. If he conquered everything he would not take it to himself. His glory is in knowing that all things come together in One and life and death are equal.

Great knowledge sees all in one. Small knowledge breaks down into the many.

Do not seek fame. Do not make plans. Do not be absorbed by activities. Do not think that you know. Be aware of all that is and dwell in the infinite. Wander where there is no path. Be all that heaven gave you, but act as though you have received nothing. Be empty, that is all.

To exercise no-thought and rest in nothing is the first step toward resting in Tao. To start from nowhere and follow no road is the first step toward attaining Tao.

When an archer shoots for enjoyment, he has all his skill; when he shoots for a brass buckle, he gets nervous; when he shoots for a prize of gold, he begins to see two targets.

Take care of your body, then the rest will automatically become stronger.

Your mind must become one, do not try to understand with your ears but with your heart. Indeed, not with your heart but with your soul.

When he tries to extend his power over objects, those objects gain control of him. He who is controlled by objects loses possession of his inner self... Prisoners in the world of object, they have no choice but to submit to the demands of matter! They are pressed down and crushed by external forces: fashion, the market, events, public opinion. Never in a whole lifetime do they recover their right mind!... What a pity!

Silence, and non action are the root of all things.

Birth is not a beginning; death is not an end. There is existence without limitation; there is continuity without a starting point.

A path is made by walking on it.

The wise man knows that it is better to sit on the banks of a remote mountain stream than to be emperor of the whole world.

Do not struggle. Go with the flow of things, and you will find yourself at one with the mysterious unity of the Universe.

Words exist because of meaning; once you’ve gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.

A petty thief is put in jail. A great brigand becomes a ruler of a Nation.

A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean.

In a river mist, if another boat knocks against yours, you might yell at the other fellow to stay clear. But if you notice then, that it's an empty boat, adrift with nobody aboard, you stop yelling. When you discover that all the others are drifting boats, there's no one to yell at. And when you find out you are an empty boat, there's no one to yell.

If you want to nourish a bird, you should let it live any way it chooses. Creatures differ because they have different likes and dislikes. Therefore the sages never require the same ability from all creatures. . . concepts of right should be founded on what is suitable. The true saint leaves wisdom to the ants, takes a cue from the fishes, and leaves willfulness to the sheep.

The right way to go easy is to forget the right way.

The sound of water says what I think.

If you have insight, you use your inner eye, your inner ear, to pierce to the heart of things, and have no need of intellectual knowledge.

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?

Let everything be allowed to do what it naturally does, so that its nature will be satisfied.

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.

Perfect happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.

When people do not ignore what they should ignore, but ignore what they should not ignore, this is known as ignorance.

Your preciousness lies in your essence; it cannot be lost by anything that happens.

Look at this window: it is nothing but a hole in the wall, but because of it the whole room is full of light. So when the faculties are empty, the heart is full of light.

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free.

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. No drives, no compulsions, no needs, no attractions: Then your affairs are under control. You are a free man.

To be truly ignorant, be content with your own knowledge.

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?

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.

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.

The greatest tragedy that can befall a person is the atrophy of his mind.

Let your mind wander in the pure and simple. Be one with the infinite. Let all things take their course.