The hearing that is only in the ears is one thing. The hearing of the understanding is another. But the hearing of the spirit is not limited to any one faculty to the ear, or to the mind.
ZhuangziRead
If you persist in trying to attain what is never attained (It is Tao's gift), if you persist in making effort to obtain what effort cannot get, if you persist in reasoning about what cannot be understood, you will be destroyed by the very thing you seek. To know when to stop, to know when you can get no further by your own action, this is the right beginning!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing limits and knowing when to stop pursuing unattainable goals.
Zhuangzi's quote speaks to the futility of relentlessly chasing after things that are inherently unattainable, suggesting that such pursuits can lead to one's downfall. It highlights the value of understanding the point at which efforts are fruitless and the wisdom in knowing when to let go, advocating for a more balanced approach to desire and effort.
Themes
PersistenceWisdomLimitsUnderstandingEffort
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about the importance of balance in life.
More from Zhuangzi
All quotes →Either in conflict with others or in harmony with them, we go through life like a runaway horse, unable to stop.
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When people do not ignore what they should ignore, but ignore what they should not ignore, this is known as ignorance.
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The true man of the past waited upon Heaven when dealing with people and did not wait upon people when dealing with Heaven.
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The mind remains undetermined in the great Void. Here the highest knowledge is unbounded. That which gives things their thusness cannot be delimited by things. So when we speak of 'limits', we remain confined to limited things. The limit of the unlimited is called 'fullness.' The limitlessness of the limited is called 'emptiness.' Tao is the source of both. But it is itself neither fullness nor emptiness
ZhuangziRead
All the fish needs is to get lost in the water. All man needs is to get lost in Tao.
ZhuangziRead
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