Lin Yutang
Lin Yutang
Lin Yutangwas a Chinese writer, translator, linguist and inventor. His informal but polished style in both Chinese and English made him one of the most influential writers of his generation, and his compilations and translations of classic Chinese texts into English were bestsellers in the West...
NationalityChinese
ProfessionAuthor
Date of Birth10 October 1895
CountryChina
taste reader ifs
And if the reader has no taste for what he reads, all the time is wasted
kindness believe simple
Today we are afraid of simple words like goodness and mercy and kindness. We don't believe in the good old words because we don't believe in good old values anymore. And that's why the world is sick.
life morning lying
If man be sensible and one fine morning, while he is lying in bed, counts at the tips of his fingers how many things in this life truly will give him enjoyment, invariably he will find food is the first one.
letting-go men wind
The history omankind seems like kite flying; sometimes, when the wind is favorable, we let go the string a little and the kite soars a little higher; sometimes the wind is too rough and we have to lower it a little, and sometimes it gets caught among the tree branches; but to reach the upper strata of pure bliss-ah, perhaps never.
mind india essentials
Not until we see the richness of the Hindu mind and its essential spirituality can we understand India
play reason characteristics
Now it is characteristic of play that one plays without reason and there must be no reason for it. Play is its own good reason.
love dream men
It is important that man dreams, but it is perhaps equally important that he can laugh at his own dreams.
simplicity depth signs-and-symbols
Simplicity is the outward sign and symbol of depth of thought.
insane asylums west
In the West, the insane are so many that they are put in an asylum, in China the insane are so unusual that we worship them.
life ends enjoyment
The end of living is the true enjoyment of it.
wise men hair
O wise humanity, terribly wise humanity! How inscrutable is the civilization where men toil and work and worry their hair gray to get a living and forget to play!
mean behavior uncomfortable
Best behavior means the same thing as the most uncomfortable behavior.
christian wise teaching
The only part of Christian teachings which will be truly accepted by the Chinese people is Christ's injunction to be "harmless as doves" but "wise as serpents.
simple light age
The age calls for simple statements and restatements of simple truths. The prophets of doom are involved, those who would bring light must be clear.