Liezi Quotes on Happiness
Liezi, also known as Lie Yukou, was a Chinese Taoist philosopher of the fifth century BC, traditionally regarded as one of the three foundational thinkers of philosophical Taoism alongside Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi. This page collects quotes attributed to Liezi on the topic of happiness, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
-
Attributed to Liezi:
“Those who dream of feasting awake to lamentation.”
-
Attributed to Liezi:
“When the heart is at peace, the body is at ease.”
-
“To be truly happy and contented, you must let go of the idea of what it means to be happy or content. When you understand there is really nothing to be happy or sad about, then you will be truly contented.”
Wikiquote -
“Joy and sorrow, gain and loss, war and peace, good government and bad repeat themselves throughout history. Why live a hundred years to see the same things come and go?”
Passage 79:Everyone Must Die Sometime -
“When we are rich and famous and powerful, we do not want to die. On the other hand, if we are miserable and suffering, we want to die and leave it all. But can joy or misery last forever?”
Passage 70:The King Who Wanted to Live Forever -
“Someone with neither social status nor a reputation to uphold may be a freer and happier person. Why then work so hard to gain social recognition when it will only diminish your freedom and happiness?”
Passage 72:A Name is Nothing and Titles are Empty