The Shadow Book of Ji Yun Quotes

“So, as with everything, from the practice of medicine and scholarship to political service, the genuine and the fraudulent coexist and blur into each other. What should one do then? Simply this: be skeptical of what you hear. Yet also have enough humility to accept the world contains more than what you can see or imagine.”
― Yun Ji, The Shadow Book of Ji Yun: The Chinese Classic of Weird True Tales, Horror Stories, and Occult Knowledge

“What kinds of creatures are we? Just because we want a piece of meat, we take a life. Just because we want a bowl of soup, we kill the child of another being. In exchange for a good taste in our mouth that will last seconds, we take endless years from another animal, causing them to suffer fear, pain, and sadness. These questions are not odd to ask. Centuries ago, the famous poet Su Shi asked them too—as have others. We all must eat of course. But we should find a way to do this compassionately. And our efforts should be more thoughtful than a short fast here and there. Such half measures foster evil while making people feel like they’re accomplishing great good.”
― Yun Ji, The Shadow Book of Ji Yun: The Chinese Classic of Weird True Tales, Horror Stories, and Occult Knowledge

“if one tosses a stone too forcefully, it will bounce back to wound you.”
― Yun Ji, The Shadow Book of Ji Yun: The Chinese Classic of Weird True Tales, Horror Stories, and Occult Knowledge