Chinese author quotes Quotes

“Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better.”

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”

“You turn the handle the way it goes, not the way it ought to go”

“I am not afraid of a person who knows 10000 kicks. But I am afraid of a person who knows one kick but practices it for 10000 times.”

“There is no need to run outside for better seeing... Rather abide at the center of your being; For the more you leave it the less you learn. Search your heart and see... The way to do is to be.”

“Time means a lot to me because, you see, I, too, am also a learner and am often lost in the joy of forever developing and simplifying. If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”

“All reactionaries are paper tigers. In appearance, the reactionaries are terrifying, but in reality they are not so powerful. From a long-term point of view, it is not the reactionaries butthe people who are really powerful.”

“The wise are not learned, the learned are not wise.”

“Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean.”

“Use karate, judo, aikido, or any style to build your counter-offensive. It will be interesting!”

“Your name or your body, what is dearer? Your body or your wealth, what is worthier?”

“True thusness is the substance of thought, and thought is the function of true thusness. There is no thought except that of true thusness. Thusness does not move, but its motion and function are inexhaustible.”

“I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness.”

“Let's contemplate this, how many people would die if war breaks out. There are 2.7 billion people in the world. One-third could be lost; or, a little more, it could be half... I say that, taking the extreme situation, half dies, half lives, but imperialism would be razed to the ground and the whole world would become socialist.”

“In the Golden Age, Rulers were unknown. In the following age Rulers were loved and praised. Next came the age When rulers were feared. Finally the age When rulers are hated.”

“Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.”

“As in the case of making a mound, if, before the very last basketful, I stop, then I shall have stopped. As in the case of leveling the ground, if, though tipping only one basketful, I am going forward, then I shall be making progress.”

“One who believes in himself has no need to convince others.”

“Worry not that no one knows you; seek to be worth knowing.”

“Surrender your self-interest. Love others as much as you love yourself. Then you can be entrusted with all things under heaven.”

“Yet mystery and imagination arise from the same source. This source is called darkness ... Darkness within darkness, the gateway to all understanding.”

“Return good for good; return evil with justice.”

“There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war.”

“How should I know anything about another world when I know so little of this?”

“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”

“The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch or a kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups.”

“The one who does not honor the teacher and the one who does not honor the task, although ever so knowledgeable, they are confused.”

“It is better to play than do nothing.”

“The men who are great live with that which is substantial, they do not stay with that which is superficial; they abide with realities, they do not remain with what is showy. The one they discard, the other they hold.”

“If there were an honorable way to get rich, I’d do it, even if it meant being a stooge standing around with a whip. But there isn’t an honorable way, so I just do what I like.”

“It is goodness that gives to a neighborhood its beauty. One who is free to choose, yet does not prefer to dwell among the good - how can he be accorded the name of wise?”

“Nothing and no one in the world is valuable or worthless.”

“If one learns from others, but does not think, one will be bewildered. If, on the other hand, one thinks but does not learn from others, one will be in peril.”

“What we are after is the root and not the branches. The root is the real knowledge; the branches are surface knowledge. Real knowledge breeds 'body feel' and personal expression; surface knowledge breeds mechanical conditioning and imposing limitation and squelches creativity.”

“Look closely into his aims, observe the means by which he pursues them, discover what brings him content - and can the man's real worth remain hidden from you?”

“If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo.”

“At fifteen my mind was directed to study, and at thirty I knew where to stand.”

“Learning is definitely not mere imitation, nor is it the ability to accumulate and regurgitate fixed knowledge. Learning is a constant process of discovery - a process without end.”

“Never contract friendship with a man that is not better than thyself.”

“That so few understand me is why I am treasured.”

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.”

“To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time to either spend or waste and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone forever.”

“To conquer others is to have power, to conquer yourself is to know the way.”

“In building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject. Actually, he keeps chiseling away at the nonessentials until the truth of his creation is revealed without obstruction.”

“If a man is respectful he will not be treated with insolence. If he is tolerant he will win the multitude. If he is trustworthy in word his fellow men will entrust him with responsibility. If he is quick he will achieve results.”

“I let go of all desire for the common good, and the good becomes as common as the grass.”

“On what basis should our policy rest? It should rest on our own strength, and that means regeneration through one's own efforts. We are not alone; all the countries and people in the world opposed to imperialism are our friends. Nevertheless, we stress regeneration through our own efforts. Relying on the forces we ourselves organize, we can defeat all Chinese and foreign reactionaries.”

“Either you understand or you don't, and that is that.”

“I refer to my hands, feet and body as the tools of the trade. The hands and feet must be sharpened and improved daily to be efficient.”

“The superior man is easy to serve, but difficult to please ... The inferior man is difficult to serve, but easy to please.”