More by Lin Yutang
Putting human affairs in exact formulas shows in itself a lack of the sense of humor and therefore a lack of wisdom.
The Importance of Living (1937)
Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.
Pearls of Wisdom: A Harvest of Quotations From All Ages (1987)
It is not so much what you believe in that matters, as the way in which you believe it and proceed to translate that belief into action.
The Importance of Living (1937)
He who perceives death perceives a sense of the human comedy, and quickly becomes a poet.
The Importance of Living (1937)
When the mirror meets with an ugly woman, when a rare ink-stone finds a vulgar owner, and when a good sword is in the hands of a common general, there is utterly nothing to be done about it.
The Importance of Living (1937)
It is important that man dreams, but it is perhaps equally important that he can laugh at his own dreams.
The Importance of Living (1937)
A man may own a thousand acres of land, and yet he still sleeps upon a bed of five feet.
The Importance of Living (1937)
The world I believe is far too serious, and being far too serious, is it has need of a wise and merry philosophy.
The Importance of Living (1937)
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