"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."
"The purpose of a short story is ... that the reader shall come away with the satisfactory feeling that a particular insight into human character has been gained, or that his (or her) knowledge of life has been deepened, or that pity, love or sympathy for a human being is awakened."
5 likes
Source: Lin Yutang (1937). “The Importance of Living”
About the author
Same author
More quotes by Lin Yutang
"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow."
"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."
"Happiness has always seemed like a bluebird, and consists of moments."
"A man who has to be punctually at a certain place at five o'clock has the whole afternoon ruined for him already."
"Those who are wise won't be busy, and those who are too busy can't be wise."