Michael Smith

“All men know the use of the useful, but nobody knows the use of the useless!”
― Zhuangzi, The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

“When she had just died, I could not help being affected. Soon, however, I examined the matter from the very beginning. At the very beginning, she was not living, having no form, nor even substance. But somehow or other there was then her substance, then her form, and then her life. Now by a further change, she has died. The whole process is like the sequence of the four seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. While she is thus lying in the great mansion of the universe, for me to go about weeping and wailing would be to proclaim myself ignorant of the natural laws. Therefore I stopped!”
― Zhuangzi

“If a branch is too rigid, it will break. Resist, and you will perish. Know how to yield, and you will survive.”
― Liezi, Lieh-tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living

“Nature has a lot to teach us. All you need is to open your eyes and look. The changes you see in nature follow a course. The four seasons behave in a regulated way. In truth, all human matters follow the same principles as the workings of heaven and earth.”
― Liezi, Lieh-tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living