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
The Tao has no place for pettiness, and nor has Virtue. Pettiness is dangerous to Virtue; pettiness is dangerous to the Tao. It is said, rectify yourself and be done.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of avoiding trivial concerns to maintain personal integrity and harmony with the Tao.
Zhuangzi highlights that both the Tao, which represents the natural way of the universe, and Virtue, which signifies moral integrity, do not tolerate trivial or petty behaviors. By illustrating the dangers of pettiness on the path to living a virtuous and harmonious life, Zhuangzi encourages individuals to focus on self-improvement and genuine values rather than getting caught up in insignificant matters.
Themes
TaoVirtuePettinessSelf-ImprovementIntegrityLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal growth, someone could say this quote to emphasize focusing on meaningful actions rather than trivial concerns.
More from Zhuangzi
All quotes βEither 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
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All the fish needs is to get lost in the water. All man needs is to get lost in Tao.
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