Steve

“In a world that respects usefulness, Zhuangzi finds value in uselessness, pointing out that a great, crooked tree, useless for timber, will live long, while the trees that are useful to men are abused and their lives cut short.”
― Harold M. Tanner, China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire,

“Being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead.”
― Kurt Vonnegut

“Since large, powerful landowners were better able to resist taxation than individual families, this often meant that the state’s tax revenue declined.”
― Harold M. Tanner, China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire,