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The Chinese philosopher Chuang-Tzu stated that true empathy requires listening with the whole being: 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. Hence it demands the emptiness of all the faculties. And when the faculties are empty, then the whole being listens. There is then a direct grasp of what is right there before you that can never be heard with the ear or understood with the mind.
Sep 10, 2025
Different Chinese philosophers, writing probably in 5-4 centuries B.C., presented some major ideas and a way of life that are nowadays known under the name of Taoism, the way of correspondence between man and the tendency or the course of natural world.
He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.
Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish, too much handling will spoil it.
If you would take, you must first give.
Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.
Happiness exist when you don't know a thing
What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.
A man who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake.
I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any.
When you know a thing, to hold that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge.
The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.
Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.
A Chinaman of the T'ang Dynasty—and, by which definition, a philosopher—dreamed he was a butterfly, and from that moment he was never quite sure that he was not a butterfly dreaming it was a Chinese philosopher. Envy him; in his two-fold security.
You cannot open a book without learning something.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.
Silence is a true friend who never betrays.
Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star.
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
He who knows does not speak. He who speaks does not know.
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage, or of principle.
Great acts are made up of small deeds.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy.
Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.
Choose a career you love and you will never have to go to work.
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
India Conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.
Live your life to the fullest.
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action.
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.
When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.
When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.
Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Friends are the siblings God never gave us.
The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.
The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.