Liezi Quotes on Happiness
The Liezi, the Taoist text attributed to the philosopher of that name, locates happiness in stillness, contentment, and the release of striving, and the quotes gathered here express that. Its central counsel is paradoxical: to be truly happy and contented, you must let go of the very idea of what it means to be happy or content, for once one sees there is nothing to be happy or sad about, contentment follows of itself. The text ties inner peace to bodily ease, holding that when the heart is at peace the body is at ease. It also questions the pursuit of status and reputation, suggesting that someone with neither may be the freer and happier person, since recognition only diminishes freedom. Drawn from the parables and dialogues of the Liezi, these passages present happiness as the fruit of letting go.
Quotes
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Attributed to Liezi:
“Those who dream of feasting awake to lamentation.”
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Attributed to Liezi:
“When the heart is at peace, the body is at ease.”
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“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