"Above ground, I'll be eaten by the crows and kites; below ground, I'll be eaten by the ants and molecrickets. You rob the one of them to give to the other; how come you like them so much better?"

"The sage has no fixed principles; he takes the world as his mirror."

"How do I know that wanting to live is not a mistake? How do I know that hating death is not like a man who, having left home in his youth, has forgotten the way back?"

"The sage does not seek to change the world, but to change himself."

"You can't discuss the ocean with a well frog—he's limited by the space he lives in. You can't discuss ice with a summer insect—he's limited by the season he lives in."