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It is not dirt but the fear of dirt which is the sign of man's degeneration, and it is dangerous to judge a man's physical and moral sanity by outside standards.

Lin Yutang

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Lin Yutang
Age: 80 †
Born: 1895
Born: October 10
Died: 1976
Died: March 26
Lexicographer
Linguist
Novelist
Philosopher
Translator
Writer
Judging
Physical
Outside
Degeneration
Dangerous
Sanity
Moral
Dirt
Fear
Sign
Men
Judge
Standards

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Where there are too many policemen, there is no liberty. Where there are too many soldiers, there is no peace. Where there are too many lawyers, there is no justice.
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This I conceive to be the chemical function of humor: to change the character of our thought.
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All human happiness is sensuous happiness.
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Simplicity is the outward sign and symbol of depth of thought.
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Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.
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Let him cry whoever feels like crying, for we were animals before we became reasoning beings, and the shedding of a tear, whether of forgiveness or of pity or of sheer delight at beauty, will do him a lot of good.
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My faith in human dignity consists in the belief that man is the greatest scamp on earth. Human dignity must be associated with the idea of a scamp and not with that of an obedient, disciplined and regimented soldier.
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Since the invention of the flush toilet and the vacuum carpet cleaner, the modern man seems to judge a man's moral standards by his cleanliness, and thinks a dog the more highly civilized for having a weekly bath and a winter wrapper round his belly.
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The only test of a soul's salvation is its inward happiness.
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The age calls for simple statements and restatements of simple truths. The prophets of doom are involved, those who would bring light must be clear.
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Happiness has always seemed like a bluebird, and consists of moments.
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To glorify the past and paint the future is easy, to survey the present and emerge with some light and understanding is difficult.
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On the whole, the enjoyment of leisure is something which decidedly costs less than the enjoyment of luxury. All it requires is an artistic temperament which is bent on seeking a perfectly useless afternoon spent in a perfectly useless manner.
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I do not think that any civilization can be called complete until it has progressed from sophistication to unsophistication, and made a conscious return to simplicity of thinking and living.
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Of all the unhappy people in the world, the unhappiest are those who have not found something they want to do.
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A tendency to fly too straight at a goal, instead of circling around it, often carries one too far.
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As for international understanding, I feel that macaroni has done more for our appreciation of Italy than Mussolini.
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It is not so much what you believe in that matters, as the way in which you believe it and proceed to translate that belief into action.
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