Dao Quotes

In the world I am Always a stranger I do not understand its language It does not understand my silence

The moon does not fight. It attacks no one. It does not worry. It does not try to crush others. It keeps to its course, but by its very nature, it gently influences. What other body could pull an entire ocean from shore to shore? The moon is faithful to its nature and its power is never diminished.

Those who don't know how to suffer are the worst off. There are times when the only correct thing we can do is to bear out troubles until a better day.

O, Bože, zašto si mi dao srce koje me bez prestanka vuče za daljinom i ljepotom neviđenih krajeva? Zašto si učinio da sreća moja uvijek boravi ondje gdje mene nema?

All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living your own life. Then, even the holiest of words are only words.

You're really great. I like you...Or in other words, I fancy you, I love you, I want you, I can't leave you, I whatever you.

Giá mà lúc mình buồn như tận thế Có một ai bấm máy gọi cho mình Mình sẽ khóc mặc thân sơ quen lạ Quên dặt dè mà thổ lộ linh tinh Giá mà lúc lòng mình đang yếu đuối Có một ai yên lặng nắm tay mình Thì có lẽ mình sẽ mang tình đó Mà thương hoài với một dạ đinh ninh Giá mà lúc mình đau như dao cắt Có một ai chợt nói nhớ mong mình Mình sẽ tự băng vết thương rớm máu Gượng bước về nơi hẹn cũ nghe mưa Giá mà lúc mình rơi vào đáy vực Hết trông mong hy vọng hết cả rồi Có ai đó bảo mình không sao cả Mình sẽ bò theo dấu vết sông trôi Giá mà lúc mình đang yêu, người đó Gửi tin vui lên những ánh sao trời Thì có lẽ mình sẽ không lưu lạc Suốt một đời đau đáu cố nhân ơi! (Gía mà lúc)

Who you are is always right.

If you have a good idea, use it so that you will not only accomplish something, but so that you can make room for new ones to flow into you.

She would bloom where she was planted and let her roots close around the throats of her enemies.

Grappling with fate is like meeting an expert wrestler: to escape, you have to accept the fall when you are thrown. The only thing that counts is whether you get back up.

We may be floating on Tao, but there is nothing wrong with steering. If Tao is like a river, it is certainly good to know where the rocks are.

Whether we remain the ash or become the phoenix is up to us.

She was a monster, a bride of the darkness, and she rose to face her destiny as though it were the blood-red sunrise of a new day.

freedom is nothing but the distance between the hunter and the hunted

Expression is never helped by suppression.

Fear is good. It means you care. And caring is its own kind of magic. One just as powerful as any dao I can weave.

Everyday means everyday.

Those truly linked don't need correspondence. When they meet again after many years apart, Their friendship is as true as ever.

The beauty of this world is fading all too fast through the cruelty and thoughtlessness of men.

But in weakness, you find your strength. It takes no small amount of courage to open yourself up,” the Empress said gently. “You leave pieces of yourself in the ones you love. Is that not the greatest power, to endure in that way?

You may be capable of great things, But life consists of small things.

She knew her own worth. She would seize her destiny with all the strength and spirit within her, and bend them all to her will: every man kneeling and every woman overshadowed.

Markings in dry clay disappear Only when the clay is soft again. Scars upon the self disappear Only when one becomes soft within.

Wei WuXian called out, '… Lan Zhan.' Lan WangJi’s breathing wasn’t as placid as usual, feeling somewhat rushed. It was probably from carrying Wei WuXian while fending off attacks and being on the run for too long. The tone in which he replied, however, was still the single syllable, as steady as ever, 'Mnn.' After the 'mnn,' he added, 'I am here.

No matter how thoroughly Lan Wangji was praised as an unrivaled rare beauty, nothing could help the fact they he looked profoundly embittered, as if he had lost his wife.

Lan Zhan,” he called. “Look at me. Quick, look at me!” Wei Wuxian was calling to him with a smile on his lips. Just as he always had, Lan Wangji looked at him. And forever after, his eyes could never move away from him again.

If you walk the night road too often, sooner or later, you'll run into ghosts.

For that is the way of the world, Guma’s voice echoed. Some are given a rope to the moon, and others claw up the sky.

He wasn't scared of falling. All these years, he'd fallen many times. But falling on the ground still hurt, after all. If someone was there to catch him, it'd be more than wonderful.

Opasno je kad se čovjek nađe sâm, okružen tišinom tuđeg neprisustva, više je strahova i čudnih razgovora sa sobom. Samo, kako da ti to sve kažem? I kako da objasnim sebi, tebe se to ne tiče, što nekad teško podnosim ovu usamljenost, a nekad mi je draža od svega, ne bih je dao nizašto.

Only kings are arrogant enough to believe the world is too small to hold other men.

It is too facile to say that the way to follow Tao is to simply go along with the flow of life. Sometimes, like the carp, we must know when to go it alone.

Remember the things others do for you, not the things you do for others. Only when people don't hold so much in their hearts would they finally feel free.

The tone in which he replied, however, was still the single syllable, as steady as ever, “Mnn.” After the “mnn”, he added, “I am here.” Hearing the words, something that Wei WuXian had never felt before sprouted within his heart. It was like sorrow. His chest hurt a bit, but also felt a bit warm.

Who was right, who was wrong, was there more gratitude or more grievance - is that something an outsider can determine?

His voice was hoarse. 'Thank you.' He wasn't scared of falling. All these years, he'd fallen many times. But falling on the ground still hurt, after all. If someone was there to catch him, it'd be more than wonderful.

Xifeng tilted her face, a pale moon in the evening of the water. She felt like a goddess in the shimmering light. She was a poem come to life, each vein was a lyric.

There was something unfinished about not saying farewell, like a door left open in the chill night.

When I let go of who I am, I become who I might be.

No one could be worshiped on the divine altar forever. Legends were merely legends.

They crossed the Mondego and Dao rivers to Viseu and headed south to Coimbra and Leiria.

Fool. This is only the first form of my cuisine! Teriyaki burgers will flow! Poutine will flourish! I will master the Dao of Cooking, and all will fear my might!

I want to mean something to a great deal of people. I am tired of being no one. As Empress, I would have the right to choose for myself. Guma could not command me, and Wei would not own me.

Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject conformity. Reject convention. Reject definitions. Reject names.

One's deeds will be paid, one way or another; what goes around always comes around.

Amid the haze, his first thought was, '…Can’t believe it. Why the f@ck didn’t I do this with Lan Zhan back when I was fifteen? I’ve really pissed away all my days, haven’t I?

So what? My hatred would persist, even if he dies thousands of times!

Najviše volim njenu vedrinu. Puno joj je grlo smijeha, ima ga napretek, visi joj s usana, presipa se, zvoni njime kao na uzbunu protiv zle volje. Ništa joj ne može ni kratak trenutak tuge, tanka sjenka što brzo prolazi, nema na čemu da se zaustavi, nije hrapava, nije ranjava, nema ožiljaka, ne misli šta joj je život dao, a šta oduzeo, ne razmišlja da li ima razloga za veselost: vesela je. To je dar, kao i svaki drugi, nije njena zasluga što ga ima, već što ga krije. Smijeh joj ne traži razlog izvan sebe, on u njoj vri, i brizga, prirodan kao gejzir, neodoljiv, čist, ne opominje, ne upozorava, nije opterećen ruganjem, ni željom da se čuje, ni prazninom, ima svoju boju i zvuk, i širinu i neki naročiti smisao, liči pomalo na blagotvornu mudrost pretvorenu alhemijom njene nezlobive vedrine u lakoću što oslobađa. Ali, treba zaslužiti taj smijeh, to je njen poklon onima koje voli, ne zato što ga ona ne cijeni, već što se ne skriva. Smijemo se, koristim se tim njenim darom, a on se od tog ne iscrpljuje, postaje još puniji, nalazi odjeka.

the bouquet Between me and the world you are a bay, a sail the faithful ends of a rope you are a fountain, a wind, a shrill childhood cry. Between me and the world you are a picture frame, a window a field covered in wildflowers you are a breath, a bed, a night that keeps the stars company. Between me and the world, you are a calendar, a compass a ray of light that slips through the gloom you are a biographical sketch, a book mark a preface that comes at the end. between me and the world you are a gauze curtain, a mist a lamp shining in my dreams you are a bamboo flute, a song without words a closed eyelid carved in stone. Between me and the world you are a chasm, a pool an abyss plunging down you are a balustrade, a wall a shield’s eternal pattern.

If my beauty is my greatest weapon, vanity is the shield that protects me.

Keep life simple… turn toward the divine. It satisfies, it brings knowledge, and it brings joy.

Every day passes whether you participate or not.

Sooner or later, we are bound to discover some things about ourselves that we don't like. But once we see they're there, we can decide what we want to do with them. Do we want to get rid of them completely, change them into other things, or use them in beneficial ways? The last two approaches are often especially Useful, since they avoid head on conflict, and therefore minimize struggle. Also, they allow those transformed characteristics to be added to the list of things we have that help us out. In a similar manner, instead of struggling to erase what are referred to as negative emotions, we can learn to use them in positive ways. We could describe the principle like this: while pounding on the piano keys may produce noise, removing them doesn't exactly further the creation of music.

Isn’t’ it better to give up a fraction of your freedom to gain tenfold in happiness, even for a short time?

You cannot be who you are not. Simply rest, sit still and unknot. You may even try to emulate and inspire, But it's the inner self that you'll transpire.

Lang WangJi drew his sword and went at him. Wei WuXian hurriedly hopped onto the windowsill, "Get lost it is, then. Getting lost is my best skill. It's not necessary for you to see me out!

Draw energy from the earth Admit power from the heavens Fertilize the seed within Let it sprout into a flower of pure light

It takes two to Tao.

The less you move on the ground the more the world moves around.

Isn’t it better to wake up each day, living for the present rather than waiting for the future?

Life is a constant series of opportunities. If we don’t reach out for things, if we don’t take advantage of what comes our way, then we cannot be in harmony with the essential nature of life.

The idea that each of us can be directly spiritual is radical. Most religions are based not on teaching adherents to be directly spiritual, but in persuading them to trust in the intercession of ministers or priests. The problem with this approach is that we cannot gain access to spirituality except through the medium of a fallible human being. If we want to see Tao, we need only open our eyes and trust what we see.

When he whisked you away and hid you inside that cave, the way he spoke to you, the way he looked at you…even if you were blind or deaf, it would have been impossible not to understand his feelings.

Then four days! Can we change it to once every four days? If four days won’t do, we could do every three days too!” Lan Wangji’s voice was both strong and resonant as he declared: “Every day means every day.

Wei Wuxian seized Lan Wangji by the shoulders. “But! But from now on, I’ll remember everything you’ve said to me, everything you’ve done. I won’t forget a thing!” “…” “You’re especially wonderful. I like you,” Wei Wuxian said. “…” “Or, in other words—I fancy you, I love you, I want you, I can’t leave you, I whatever you.” “…” “I want to go on Night Hunts with you for the rest of my life.

Life is a series of decisions. Whether you make the correct decisions or not doesn’t matter. The important thing is to keep going forward. Years later, when you look back, perhaps you’ll find that the incorrect decisions you made… weren’t really incorrect. Similarly, the correct decisions… might not necessarily have been correct.  Why struggle with frustration? Why proceed with confusion? In all things… resolution only comes from continuing to move forward. Following this line of reasoning, if there is no such thing as ‘incorrect,’ then how can the ‘correct’ exist? Similarly, if there is no ‘correct,’ then how can the ‘incorrect’ exist?

Beauty is all very well. But it is merely the gleam of the sword, the chief eunuch said. It is the mind that provides the sharp blade, and without that, well. We have a pretty piece of metal and not a weapon at all.

All my life, I've thought myself weaker than others. But everyone has to work at being brave, don't they? Day after day, in their own way.

Each day your life grows a day shorter. Make every move count.

The boy was gentle in disposition, refined and elegant, noble in his bearing with a light grin curving the corners of his lips.

Every ordinary moment, every little detail should be a celebration of your personal understanding. Your smallest act should be permeated with reverence.

Love is weakness. You open yourself up to choices you’d never make if you heart were your own.

Nobody would remain at the top for all of eternity—legends are only legends.

Odjebi, JNA... Dao sam ti jednu dobru godinu života... Najbolju, možda? Veliki Vračevi Medicine rascepe grudi kao narandžu i spuste novo srce u njih (pažljivo, zatvorenih šaka, kao da vraćaju vrapčića u gnezdo), razdvoje skalpelom svetlo od tame u mutnom jezgru zenice, bajaju, pokretnu nepokretno, čudotvore na ljudima, pa opet, ni oni ne mogu da mi vrate moju otrgnutu devetnaestu.... Nikad više... Ali... Proklet da sam... Ja sam bar imao dvadesetu. Dvadeset prvu. I još neke dvadeset-tridesete... Za razliku od dečaka na čije crno uokvirene fotografije svakodnevno nailazim na predzadnjim stranicama štampe... Oni ostadoše negde u devetnaestoj... Zaljubljeni... Zaigrani... Zbunjeni... Ne dospevši da svoje olovne vojnike razdvoje od olovnih zrna, koje su im Zli Starci tako bezbožnički podmetnuli u džepove... Ne, Brate Kaine, ne zovi me u polje... Ne mami me, zalud, da prošetamo minskim poljem, moj grešni sivomaslinasti brate... Poturi nekog drugog Dobrovoljca na branike svoje nesposobnosti... Okači drugu metu na svoje kartonske bedeme... Nema Mojih u ovom Ratu Naših... Ma znam... Ne može to tek tako... Čičak Izdaje se kači na sve strane. I meni će ga već neki mangup prilepiti na leđa, onako u prolazu, tapšući me po ramenu, tobož prijateljski... Razmišljao sam o tome... Koga izdati kad mi ostane da biram između nas dvoje? I, žalim... Ali prestar sam da bih izdao sebe, još jednom... Zato odjebi, JNA... Dosta je bilo...

Tri su, vjeruj, vrste ljudi. U prvoj su oni pravi, pravi i pošteni, oni koji i hamala gledaju kao brata, oni koji slabo kada griješe. Ako takve za grijeh kaznimo, oni će, svjesni da su skrivili, tu kaznu lako podnositi i poslije nje biti opet čisti. Ako im oprostimo, to će njih gore boljeti nego kazna. Hilmi-efendija nije takav... Druga je vrsta ljudi koji griješe, griješe nesvjesno, griješe jer ne mogu odoljeti svom nefsu, jer žele imati ono što im Alah nije dao. Ti su ljudi slabi. Njih kazna posve uništava, ubija u njima svijest i rađa svijest da tako mora biti i vjeru da su stvarno zli. Ali njih oproštenje kazne liječi i trza iz slabosti. U njima se rađa stid. Razumiješ li? Stide se sami sebe i onih koji im oprostiše, pa postaju bolji, veći i pravedniji... Treća je vrsta, Enes-beže, ona pokvarena vrsta, koje više ni kazna ne izliječi, a Hilmi-efendija nije takav.

Only through lighting a living fire within ourselves can we dance quickly and spontaneously enough to meet the rhythm of life.

Turn your face to the sun, as flowers know how to do.

She, too, was part of this game in which women could only hope to survive by keeping each other down.

Higher good is like water: the good in water benefits all, and does so without contention. It rests where people dislike to be, so it is close to the Way. Good ground; profound is the good in its heart, Benevolent the good it bestows.

People in my town would laugh at the idea of calling books and music work. . . . How is it some men break their backs farming a dead land, whereas others sit in comfort and ruminate on stars and poetry?

Wei Wuxian didn’t care. He chuckled aloud. “He can ignore me all he wants. It’s not like he’s even that pretty.” But then when he thought about it, yes, the boy was indeed that pretty. So he nonchalantly tossed that pouty feeling to the back of his mind.

Lan Wangji furrowed his brow and shook his head. It was a while before he replied, quietly, “Xiongzhang. I want to bring someone back to the Cloud Recesses.” Lan Xichen was astonished. “Bring someone back to the Cloud Recesses?” Lan Wangji nodded. His thoughts clearly weighed heavily on him. After a brief pause, he added, “Bring him back…and hide him away.

Accordingly, the Chinese texts regard war not as an instrument for the attainment of this end or that but as the product of stern necessity, something which must be confronted and coped with and managed and brought to an end. Clausewitz emphasizes that war is brutal and bloody and seeks to achieve a great victory. By contrast, the Chinese texts are permeated by a humanitarian approach and have as their aim the restoration of dao.

Whatever comes to you, you must engage it somehow. You receive it, you may alter the circumstance and let it go, you may interject something of your own into it, or you may knowingly let it pass. Whatever you do, there is no need to be apathetic toward life. Instead, full participation in all things is the surest way to happiness, vitality, success, and a deep knowledge of Tao.

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian cut in. “Lan Zhan! I…I have something to say to you.” “Wait until later,” Jin Guangyao said. “No, it’s urgent,” Wei Wuxian insisted. “Then you can say it as you are,” Jin Guangyao said. While that was only an offhand statement, realization dawned on Wei Wuxian. “You’re right,” he said. Then he yelled, with all the breath he could pull into his lungs, “Lan Zhan! Lan Wangji! Hanguang-jun! I…I genuinely wanted to sleep with you earlier!

Sometimes it is necessary to do questionable deeds to achieve what the heavens ordain, Xifeng said, thinking of all she herself has done. But in our losses, we may gain ourselves. We take what is ours and find solace in the quiet places between death destruction.

Lan Xichen! All my life, I’ve lied to countless people and I’ve harmed countless others. It’s just like you said. I killed my father, killed my brothers, killed my wife, killed my son, killed my teachers, killed my friends—I’ve committed every crime there is!” He inhaled deeply, then rasped out, “But never have I ever wanted to hurt you!

Nestled in the crook of Lan Wangji’s arms, Wei Wuxian replied, “Of course there is. For example, I don’t want to tear myself away from Lan Zhan right now. How is that the same as being scared of tearing myself away from Lan Zhan?” After a brief moment of thought, he added, “Sorry, I take that back. Maybe those two things are pretty much the same.

Blue Boy i ja krenuli smo u potragu za planinom. I našli smo jednu još prije zore. To nije bila baš bogzna kakva planina, prije bi se moglo reći da je to bilo brdo, ali Blue Boy je zacvilio kad ju je vidio. Odnio sam ga do vrha dok je na istoku izlazilo sunce. Ležao je i promatrao me dok sam mu kopao grob. Nije mogao podignuti glavu, ali dao mi je do znanja kako zna; naćulio je uši i nije skidao oka s mene. Kad sam završio s kopanjem, sjeo sam na zemlju i stavio njegovu glavu u krilo. Povremeno, kad bi smogao snage, polizao bi me po ruci. Malo kasnije je bez napora izdahnuo i glava mu je klonula preko moje ruke. Sahranio sam ga duboko u zemlji i naslagao teško kamenje na njegov grob. Tako da ima svoj mir. Kad sam stavio zadnji kamen, pomislio sam kako je zahvaljujući svom dobrom nosu sigurno već na pola puta natrag u planine. Lako je njemu sustići djeda.

Know the world from end to end is a mirror; in each atom a hundred suns are concealed. If you pierce the heart of a single drop of water, from it will flow a hundred clear oceans; if you look intently at each speck of dust, in it you will see a thousand beings. A gnat in its limbs is like an elephant; in name a drop of water resembles the Nile. In the heart of a barleycorn is stored a hundred harvests. Within a millet-seed a world exists. In an insects wing is an ocean of life. A heaven is concealed in the pupil of an eye. The core at the center of the heart is small, yet the Lord of both worlds will enter there.

Ralph ga pogleda bez riječi. Načas mu izađe pred oči slika ovdašnjih žalova neobično ljepote. Ali otok je izgorio kao suha drva - Simon je poginuo - a Jack je... Poteku mu suze i strese se od jecaja. Prvi put je dao na volju suzama otkako je na ovom otoku; sav se tresao od snažnih, drhtavih, bolnih grčeva. Glas mu je zaorio pod crnim dimom, pred tim spaljenim, uništenim otokom. Pod utjecajem njegovih osjećaja, i ostali dječaci počnu se tresti i jecati. Usred njih, onako prljav, raščupan i balav, Ralph je plakao za krajem nevinosti, plakao je zbog tame u ljudskom srcu, plakao je za mudrim, pravim prijateljem Pajcekom koji je odletio u zrak.

History is essential to our understanding of the present. Unless we are conscious of the way in which we came to this point in time as a people, then we shall never fully be able to plan the present and the future. We need to know what roots are still alive. We need to know how things came to be so that we can project from here. We also need to know the failures of the past so that we can avoid repeating them.

What is it like to feel Tao? It is an effortless flowing, a sweeping momentum. It is like bird song soaring and gliding over a vast landscape. You can feel this in your life: Events will take on a perfect momentum, a glorious cadence. You can feel it in your body: The energy will rise up in you in a thrilling crescendo, setting your very nerves aglow. You can feel it in your spirit: You will enter a state of such perfect grace that you will resound over the landscape of reality like ephemeral bird song. When Tao comes to you in this way, ride it for all that you are worth. Don't interfere. Don't stop - that brings failure, alienation, and regret. Don't try to direct it. Let it flow and follow it. When the Tao is with you, put aside all other concerns. As long as the song lasts, follow. Just follow.

Ako ti jave da sam pao na razoranim, sleđenim poljima Flandrije, da me je pokosio šrapnel - ti nemoj da budeš tužna i nemoj plakati pred svijetom, jer vrlo dobro znaš da iz mojih grudi ne mogu da niknu suncokreti niti se moje kapi krvi mogu pretvoriti u makove. To je sve jedna obična literarna konstrukcija, a da ne pričamo o tome što ja nikad nisam ni vidio Flandriju niti je ona vidjela mene. Ako ti kažu da sam se u svojim posljednjim časovima junački držao, da sam neustrašivo gledao smrti u oči, da sam je čak i začikavao, da sam svog sudiju prezrivo pljunuo, a da sam dželatu dao kesu dukata uz riječi: "Dobro obavite svoj posao!", a da sam, potom, sam izmaknuo stolicu ispod vješala, ti bi morala znati da je to jedna obična izmišljotina, izmišljotina onih koji ne znaju šta je to život a šta smrt znači. Ti me dobro znaš: znaš kako ja često umirem svakog bogovjetnog dana, kako se trzam na svaki šum, kako mi se čelo često orosi znojem (reklo bi se bez razloga), znaš da se bojim proviriti kroz špijunku na vratima bojeći se ne znam ni sam čega, bojeći se nekoga ko će mi s nadmoćnim osmijehom na licu izrecitirati sti­hove Marine Cvetajeve: Predaj se! Još niko nije našao spasa od onoga što uzima bez ruku! Sjećaš se kako sam se bojao kad si trebala da me predstaviš svo­jim roditeljima, koliko ti je trebalo vremena da me ubijediš da nisam baš toliki kreten koliki izgledam, da se ponekad sa mnom može proći ruku pod ruku kroz prometnu ulicu... Ja pamtim ono veče kad smo otišli kod jedne tvoje prijateljice koja je slavila rođendan, sjećam se svakog vica koji sam ispričao i sjećam se pogleda društva koje je u meni gledalo neku egzotičnu životinju, sjećam se kako su se gurkali laktovima kad smo ulazili, kad sam skidao svoje cipele sa pačijim kljunom (a u modi su bile brukserice), kako sam ispod stola krio onu rupu na ne baš čistim čarapama... Pamtim kako sam to veče, ponesen strahom, popio tri flaše "Fruškogorskog bisera", litar i po domaće rakije (više je nije bilo) i završio sa "Mandarmetom", nekim likerom od mandarina... Od svega toga bi se napilo jedno omanje krdo slonova, ali ja sam bio najtrezniji, bojao sam se da tebi ne napravim neko sranje i to me je držalo. Onda smo izašli na Vilsonovo šetalište i ti si se propela na prste i poljubila me, evo, baš ovdje, pored uha, a ja sam morao da sjed­nem na klupu i da počnem plakati... Prolazila su neka djeca i čuo sam ih kako kažu: "Vidi pedera!!!" Kao i uvijek, ti si me pitala šta mi je najednom, a ja nisam mogao da ti objasnim da to uopšte nije najednom, da je to stalno, da je to neka vrsta mog zaštitnog znaka, nešto po čemu bih sebe poznao među hiljadama meni sličnih, nešto što se i ne trudim da sakrijem, jedan zloćudni tumor s kojim sam se rodio, tumor na mozgu i duši koji se ne da ukloniti nikakvim operativnim putem ni zračenjem, ni činjenicom da te volim i da ti voliš mene... Ako ti jave da večeras hodam po kafanama i olajavam tebe i našu ljubav, da se prodajem za loše vino, da skupljam opuške tuđih simpatija, ljubim ruke nečistih konobarica, ispadam budala u svačijim očima... To ti je živa istina.

Lan Xichen could restrain himself no longer. “Thirty-three lashes from the discipline whip!” he exclaimed. “All in one sitting. One per senior. You must know how painful the lashes are, and how long one must lie in bed to recover! After he stubbornly escorted you back to the Burial Mounds, he returned morosely on his own to receive his punishment. Do you know how long he kneeled before the Wall of Discipline?! When I went to check on him, I told him this: Wei-gongzi has already committed a grave crime. Why must you add to them? Yet he told me…that while he could not say whether your actions were right or wrong, he was willing to carry the burden with you, regardless.

Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them—if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry.” – Trên tất cả, chú sẽ phát hiện rằng chú không phải là người đầu tiên đã từng hoang mang, giật mình kinh hãi hay cả đến phải nôn mửa vì cách xử sự của người ta. Chú hoàn toàn không phải là người cô đơn về phương diện ấy, chú sẽ ngạc nhiên thấy thế, và chú sẽ lấy làm thích thú và kích thích khi biết như vậy. Nhiều, rất nhiều người cũng đã bị dao động về phương diện luân lý và tâm linh hệt như chú bây giờ. May thay, một vài người đã ghi lại những khó khăn mà họ đã gặp phải. Chú có thể học từ những kinh nghiệm ấy – nếu chú muốn. Cũng như một ngày kia, nếu chú có cái gì để dâng hiến, thì một người nào đó sẽ học được một điều gì nơi chú. Đấy là một sự hỗ tương tốt đẹp. Và đấy không phải là giáo dục. Đấy là lịch sử. Đấy là thi ca.

Like it or not, philosophy or intellectual activity in ancient China was distinguished from manual labor, and thus philosophical texts were not only political in nature (because they normally addressed the issue of good government and social order) but also “esoteric.” They were not meant to contribute to general education, but to be studied only by a small fraction of the population, i.e., by those who had access to learning and power. If we want to understand the Laozi historically, we have to accept this context and thus also the fact that, as a philosophical treatise, it did not attempt to be generally accessible. It was originally a text for the few—and it clearly shows.

Dalam menjalani hidup ini, Nak, adakalanya kau akan sampai di jalan yang bercabang atau bersimpang. Bila demikian, jangan ragu-ragu memilih cabang atau simpang yang kelihatannya kurang atau jarang ditempuh orang." "Bagaimana kalau nanti kita tersesat?" tanyaku. "Kalau kita tersesat bukan berarti kita akan hilang dalam perjalanan", jawab emak. "Maka jangan ragu-ragu mengambil jalan yang tidak umum. Hasilnya bisa cukup memuaskan ... contohnya lihat apa yang kau alami sekarang. Setelah orang-orang melihat hasil ini, lama-lama mereka akan mengikuti langkahmu dan jalan ini lalu menjadi jalan orang banyak. Tapi kau tetap yang memulai, yang merintis. Ini berlaku baik dalam arti harfiah maupun secara kiasan.

I have again been asked to explain how one can "become a Daoists..." with all of the sad things happening in our world today, Laozi and Zhuangzi give words of advice, tho not necessarily to become a Daoist priest or priestess... " So many foreigners who want to become “Religious Daoists” 道教的道师 （道士） do not realize that they must not only receive a transmission of a Lu 籙 register which identifies their Daoist school, and learn as well how to sing the ritual melodies, play the flute, stringed instruments, drums, and sacred dance steps, required to be an ordained and functioning Daoist priest or priestess. This process usually takes 10 years or more of daily discipleship and practice, to accomplish. There are 86 schools and genre of Daoist rituals listed in the Baiyun Guan Gazeteer, 白雲觀志, which was edited by Oyanagi Sensei, in Tokyo, 1928, and again in 1934, and re-published by Baiyun Guan in Beijing, available in their book shop to purchase. Some of the schools, such as the Quanzhen Longmen 全真龙门orders, allow their rituals and Lu registers to be learned by a number of worthy disciples or monks; others, such as the Zhengyi, Qingwei, Pole Star, and Shangqing 正一，清微，北极，上请 registers may only be taught in their fullness to one son and/or one disciple, each generation. Each of the schools also have an identifying poem, from 20 or 40 character in length, or in the case of monastic orders (who pass on the registers to many disciples), longer poems up to 100 characters, which identify the generation of transmission from master to disciple. The Daoist who receives a Lu register (給籙元科, pronounced "Ji Lu Yuanke"), must use the character from the poem given to him by his or her master, when composing biao 表 memorials, shuwen 梳文 rescripts, and other documents, sent to the spirits of the 3 realms (heaven, earth, water /underworld). The rituals and documents are ineffective unless the correct characters and talismanic signature are used. The registers are not given to those who simply practice martial artists, Chinese medicine, and especially never shown to scholars. The punishment for revealing them to the unworthy is quite severe, for those who take payment for Lu transmission, or teaching how to perform the Jinlu Jiao and Huanglu Zhai 金籙醮，黃籙齋 科儀 keyi rituals, music, drum, sacred dance steps. Tang dynasty Tangwen 唐文 pronunciation must also be used when addressing the highest Daoist spirits, i.e., the 3 Pure Ones and 5 Emperors 三请五帝. In order to learn the rituals and receive a Lu transmission, it requires at least 10 years of daily practice with a master, by taking part in the Jiao and Zhai rituals, as an acolyte, cantor, or procession leader. Note that a proper use of Daoist ritual also includes learning Inner Alchemy, ie inner contemplative Daoist meditation, the visualization of spirits, where to implant them in the body, and how to summon them forth during ritual. The woman Daoist master Wei Huacun’s Huangting Neijing, 黃庭內經 to learn the esoteric names of the internalized Daoist spirits. Readers must be warned never to go to Longhu Shan, where a huge sum is charged to foreigners ($5000 to $9000) to receive a falsified document, called a "license" to be a Daoist! The first steps to true Daoist practice, Daoist Master Zhuang insisted to his disciples, is to read and follow the Laozi Daode Jing and the Zhuangzi Neipian, on a daily basis. Laozi Ch 66, "the ocean is the greatest of all creatures because it is the lowest", and Ch 67, "my 3 most precious things: compassion for all, frugal living for myself, respect all others and never put anyone down" are the basis for all Daoist practice. The words of Zhuangzi, Ch 7, are also deeply meaningful: "Yin and Yang were 2 little children who loved to play inside Hundun (ie Taiji, gestating Dao). They felt sorry because Hundun did not have eyes, or eats, or other senses. So everyday they drilled one hole, ie 2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, one mouth; and on the 7th day, Hundun died.