The Altinutt

“In a world that respects usefulness, Zhuangzi finds value in uselessness, pointing out that a great, crooked tree, useless for timber, will live long, while the trees that are useful to men are abused and their lives cut short.”
― Harold M. Tanner, China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire,

“Being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead.”
― Kurt Vonnegut

“I am a dumb piece of meat
and I rot everyday
my flesh gives a rotting smell
and people say it's the smell of life
and they come to me
and watch me rot
and get happy and upset and annoyed and disgusted and maybe sometimes feel
compassion
but they don't realize they are rotting too.”
― Daul Kim

“Since large, powerful landowners were better able to resist taxation than individual families, this often meant that the state’s tax revenue declined.”
― Harold M. Tanner, China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire,