Once [China] had a destiny. Once she was a conqueror. Now her greatest destiny seems to be merely to exist, to survive. Lin Yutang More Quotes by Lin Yutang More Quotes From Lin Yutang Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. Lin Yutang time motivational art When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set. Lin Yutang business men mean Those who are wise won't be busy, and those who are too busy can't be wise. Lin Yutang being-wise wise busy There is so much to love and to admire in this life that it is an act of ingratitude not to be happy and content in this existence. Lin Yutang this-life admire existence 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. Lin Yutang husband father moving The man who has not the habit of reading is imprisoned in his immediate world. Lin Yutang reading men world 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. Lin Yutang unhappy work people On the whole, the enjoyment of leisure is something which decidedly costs less than the enjoyment of luxury. All it requires is an artistic temperament which is bent on seeking a perfectly useless afternoon spent in a perfectly useless manner. Lin Yutang learning inspirational life We should not expect people to be good, but should make it impossible for them to be bad. Lin Yutang society impossible people The most bewildering thing about man is his idea of work and the amount of work he imposes upon himself, or civilization has imposed upon him. All nature loafs, while man alone works for a living. Lin Yutang men civilization ideas Instead of holding on to the Biblical view that we are made in the image of God, we come to realize that we are made in the image of the monkey. Lin Yutang monkeys biblical views We all have obligations and duties toward our fellow men. But it does seem curious enough that in modern neurotic society, men's energies are consumed in making a living and rarely in living itself. It takes a lot of courage for a man to declare, with clarity and simplicity, that the purpose of life is to enjoy it. Lin Yutang simplicity fellow-man men Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence. Lin Yutang encouraging faith inspirational The Chinese do not draw any distinction between food and medicine. Lin Yutang chinese distinction medicine In the West, the insane are so many that they are put in an asylum, in China the insane are so unusual that we worship them. Lin Yutang insane asylums west No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. Lin Yutang home beautiful travel Love is an immortal wound that cannot be closed up. A person loses something, a part of her soul, when she loves someone. And she goes about looking for that lost part of her soul, for she knows that otherwise she is incomplete and cannot be at rest. It is only when she is with the person she loves that she becomes complete again in herself; but the moment he leaves, she loses that part which he has taken with him and knows no rest till she has found him once more. Lin Yutang taken soul love 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. Lin Yutang medicine loss philosophy The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. Lin Yutang wisdom simple letting-go I am willing to allow that smoking is a moral weakness, but on the other hand, we must beware of the man without weaknesses. He is not to be trusted. He is apt to be always sober and he cannot make a single mistake. His habits are likely to be regular, his existence more mechanical and his head always maintains its supremacy over his heart. Much as I like reasonable persons, I hate completely rational beings. Lin Yutang hate mistake heart
