The universe possesses great beauty without uttering a word; the four seasons follow clear laws without debate; myriad things have their inherent logic without explanation. (Zhuangzi, Zhi Bei You)
Baskets are used to catch fish; once the fish are caught, the baskets are forgotten. Snares are used to catch rabbits; once the rabbits are caught, the snares are forgotten. Words are used to convey meaning; once the meaning is understood, the words are forgotten. (Zhuangzi, Wai Wu)
Those who are content are not burdened by profit. Those who thoroughly understand self-satisfaction are not afraid of loss. Those who cultivate virtue internally are not ashamed even without a title. (Zhuangzi, Rang Wang)
When severe cold arrives and frost and snow fall, I know then that the pine and cypress are flourishing. (Zhuangzi, Rang Wang)
I do not know whether Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, or whether a butterfly dreamed it was Zhuang Zhou. (Zhuangzi, Qi Wu Lun)
The firewood ends, but the fire is passed on; no one knows its limit. (Zhuangzi, Yang Sheng Zhu)
The friendship of a gentleman is like water, clear and mild; the friendship of a petty man is like sweet wine, thick and cloying. (Zhuangzi, Shan Mu)
Between heaven and earth, life is like a white steed passing through a gap—suddenly it is gone. (Zhuangzi, Zhi Bei You)
Small knowledge cannot comprehend great knowledge; short lifespan cannot comprehend long lifespan. (Zhuangzi, Xiao Yao You)
The supreme man has no self, the divine man has no merit, the sage has no name. (Zhuangzi, Xiao Yao You)
Fame is a tool for conflict; knowledge is a tool for contention. Both are dangerous weapons and should not be fully relied upon. (Zhuangzi, Ren Jian Shi)
When the world follows the Dao, sages accomplish things; when the world lacks the Dao, sages merely survive. In the present times, we merely escape punishment. Fortune is lighter than a feather, yet no one can carry it; disaster is heavier than the earth, yet no one can avoid it. (Zhuangzi, Ren Jian Shi)
As long as sages do not die, great thieves will not stop.
Those who steal small hooks are punished, but those who steal kingdoms become feudal lords.
Therefore, only by rejecting sages and abandoning knowledge will great thieves cease.
Rise with the sun and rest with the moon, roaming freely between heaven and earth. (Zhuangzi, Rang Wang)
Sorrow and joy are deviations of virtue; anger and pleasure are excesses of the Dao; preferences and aversions are failures of the mind. (Zhuangzi, Ke Yi)
The common people value profit, the honest value fame, the worthy value ambition, but the sage values the subtle essence. (Zhuangzi, Ke Yi)
