When you are not strong enough, you cannot hurt others; you can only destroy yourself. Happiness is not a label of life, but the quality of life. Life is a long journey, with smooth roads and rugged paths, with brilliant flowers and dense thorns. Whether in prosperity or adversity, one should face it with composure; whether gaining or losing, one should accept it calmly.
There is no need to weigh down your soul. Superficial vicissitudes and seriousness do not make one deep; they only leave you with a lonely silhouette. If you cannot be profound for now, then allow yourself to be light-hearted. How can one hear the sound of blooming flowers with a long face? How can one understand the rhythm of nature while wearing a mask?
Life requires no regrets; things passed are like a passing breeze. Life requires no lamentations; what is meant to come will eventually arrive. Life requires no anxieties; white hair cannot be turned back to black. Life requires no grief; to lose self-confidence is to lose everything. If you find work tedious, success will elude you; if you find life boring, joy will elude you; if you find friends unnecessary, laughter will elude you.
When a cup is full, even the finest tea must be drunk before it can be refilled. When the mind is full, one becomes conceited and self-righteous. We should constantly clear our internal "inventory," for only an empty cup can begin anew. What Buddhism calls "letting go" and what economists call "forgetting sunk costs" are both contained within this sense of emptiness.
People dream of finding infinite power or paths to immortality, hoping their unfinished work and unfulfilled desires can persist forever. However, these are ultimately nothing more than illusions.
Since the goal is on the distant horizon, one should maintain calmness and composure. The bountiful fruits of autumn depend on the diligent sowing in spring; the vastness of the ocean depends on the continuous rushing of small streams.
A person who can smile calmly through all four seasons is noble; a person who expresses joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness naturally is simple. Nobility approaches the divine, while simplicity is close to the innocence of a child. Both represent beautiful attitudes toward life.
