Great Throughts Treasury

"Pushed inside by the wind. Thrown outside by hunger."

"Rebellious thoughts are like an abandoned house overtaken by robbers."

"Sow good and you'll reap good; sow bad and you'll reap bad. You don't have to cut down a tree to get its fruit."

"Plant rice when the ground is ready; pursue women when you feel passion."

"Teeth come in at eight months, crawling is at nine months. (Everything must be in natural order.)"

"Snake fears man. Man fears snake. (Two evil fear each other when they meet)."

"Spreading the news is also multiplying it."

"The essence of the spirit is space, there is nothing it holds to in the end."

"The evil mouth of men, breaks the rod of iron. (Gossip will kill the best reputation.)"

"The cuckoo loves dawn, but the owl is fond of dusk."

"The father may well be a horse, but it's most likely that the son will be a mule."

"The goat sends the kid, the kid sends its tail. (Everyone wants to boss someone else; and each tries to pass the job on down to one of lower rank.)"

"The highest art is the art of living an ordinary life in an extraordinary manner."

"The magpie goes east, the raven goes west."

"The moon grows darker as it gets nearer to the sun."

"The powerful roar of the dragon is empty. The iridescent colors of the rainbow are only illusions."

"The thousand brilliant accomplishments of the past cannot serve today's purpose."

"The person who gets stuck on trivial prosperity will not attain great prosperity."

"The person who gets stuck on petty happiness will not attain great happiness."

"The talkative parrot is shut up in a cage. Other birds, who cannot speak, fly about freely."

"The rubbish we speak is like froth on the water, actions are drops of gold."

"The wise man's wealth lies in good deeds that follow ever after him."

"The unfortunate would be bitten by toothless dogs."

"The wise understand; fools follow the reports of others."

"There are no incurable diseases but only incurable people."

"The wish is father to the thought."

"The wise understand by themselves, fools follow the reports of others."

"Thieves never steal bells."

"Those who have saved one life, have saved the entire world."

"The young magpie that pulls feathers out of his mother thinks that he is showing gratitude in that way."

"There is no knowledge. There is nothing to reach. And there is nothing not to reach. (extract of the 4 noble truths)"

"When a king is about to lose his power his orders burn more intensely than fire."

"When a man bows, heaven forgives."

"Though one’s tongue can talk to other persons. To see one-self there must be a mirror. (One ought not to boast but look at oneself in a mirror.)"

"To change the world we must first change ourselves."

"To set fire to the wood, you need the help of the wind."

"To spread the news is to multiply it."

"True happiness does not lie in the external world, it is not dependent on the acquisition of material comforts or other people. Your happiness lies within you"

"Traveling is a return to the essentials."

"Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

"Water in the mouth before eating; water in the eyes when the bill comes."

"Who can say with certainty that one will live to see the morrow?"

"When a righteous king has crooked ministers. He falls under the rule of his ministers."

"Who can say for sure that one will live to see tomorrow."

"When fire burns over the great mountain, poison is cast in the great sea. (Evil comes to those who spread evil.)"

"When drinking water, think about the source."

"When the blind escort the blind, both fall into the river."

"When the yak plows, the ox’s neck bends. (Out of sympathy; when two men quarrel others join in)"

"When you open your eyes, I see your heart. When I close my eyes, I see the world."

"When you die, you rejoice, and the world cries."