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To the West, it seems hardly imaginable that the relationship between man and man (which is morality) could be maintained without reference to a Supreme Being, while to the Chinese it is equally amazing that men should not, or could not, behave toward one another as decent beings without thinking of their indirect relationship through a third party.

— Lin Yutang My Country and My People (1935)

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More quotes by Lin Yutang

There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life.

The Importance of Living (1937)

By association with nature's enormities, a man's heart may truly grow big also.

The Importance of Living (1937)

A man who has to be punctually at a certain place at five o'clock has the whole afternoon from one to five ruined for him already.

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The wise man reads both books and life itself.

The Importance of Living (1937)

Such religion as there can be in modern life, every individual will have to salvage from the churches for himself.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Lin Yutang (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.