Translation is always a treason, and as a Ming author observes, can at its best be only the reverse side of a brocade- all the threads are there, but not the subtlety of colour or design.

Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.

Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.

In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.

A garden is a friend you can visit any time.

Tea is more than an idealization of the form of drinking; it is a religion of the art of life.

In our common parlance we speak of the man "with no tea" in him, when he is insusceptible to the serio-comic interests of the personal drama.

It is not the accumulation of extraneous knowledge, but the realization of the self within, that constitutes true progress.

Cares melt when you kneel in your garden.

We take refuge in pride, because we are afraid to tell the truth to ourselves.

Perfection is everywhere if we only choose to recognise it.

The eyes of others our prisons

I swear my car won't run unless I'm picking my nose: At least, I'm that superstitious about it, so I don't want to take any chances.

Everybody strains after happiness, and the result is that nobody's happy.

I think people talk too much anyway. Sometimes people are talking to me and in my mind I'm just like “shut up, shut up, shut upblah blah blah blah blaaaaah.

We work and that is godlike.

Gaiety is the most outstanding feature of the Soviet Union.

Profits on the exchange are the treasures of goblins.

I'm a fan of music from all over the world.

Being a functioning alcoholic is kind of like being a paraplegic lap dancer: You can do it, just not as well as the others, really.

The truth is a fog, in which one man sees the heavenly host and the other one sees a flying elephant.