The Tao of Pooh
by: Benjamin Hoff
Check out the book on Amazon | your public library.
How Winnie the Pooh shows us the way - how broken our lives can be, and how awesome they can be. Short, sweet, entertaining, profound. Something to read and reflect. Recommended for those interested in learning how to live.
16 Highlights | 1 Note
Location: 5,6 
You might say that happy serenity is the most notable characteristics of the Taoist personality, and a suitable sense of humor is apparent even in the most profound Taoist writings.
Location: 15
Rabbit, whose life was made of Important Things
Location: 20
When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun
Location: 41
When you know and respect your own Inner Nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don't belong
Location: 68
Literally, Wu Wei means without doing causing, or making. But practically speaking, it means without meddlesome, combative or egotistical effort.
Location: 76
And when you try too hard, it doesn't work
Location: 77
The surest way to become Tense, Awkward and Confused is to develop a mind that tries too hard – one that thinks too much.
Location: 85
Using Wu Wei, you go by circumstances and listen to your own intuition.
Location: 96
The chronic Backson always seems to have to be Going somewhere, at least on a superficial, physical level. He doesn't go out for a WALK, though: he doesn't have time.
Location: 97
Our Bisy Backson religions, sciences, and business ethics have tried their hardest to convince us that there is a Great Reward waiting for us somewhere, and that what we have to do is spend our lives working like lunatics to catch up with it.
Location: 108
The main problem with this great obsession for Saving Time is very Simple: you can't SAVE time. You can only spend it. But you can spend it wisely or foolishly. The Bisy Backson has practically no time at all, because he's too busy wasting it by trying to save it. And by trying to save every bit of it, he ends up wasting the whole thing.
Location: 112
ENJOYMENT of the process is the secret that erases the myths of the Great Reward and Saving Time. Perhaps this can help to explain the everyday significance of the word Tao, the way.
Location: 113
The clouds above us join and separate,
The breeze in the courtyard leaves and returns.
Life is like that, so why not relax?
Who can stop us from celebrating?
— poet Lu Yu
Note: I have goals. And they need to be reached, achieved. Projects need to be done. They need to be done because I can do them, because it is fun, intense and relaxing to do them. Because doing them is a celebration. So why worry about what is not done, the pressure of The Big Other - when I can just do what I am doing and just enjoy it? To-do lists are there - like stakes, like death. But I can still laugh and play and enjoy the task at hand.Location: 120
TIn order to take control of our lives and accomplish something of lasting value, sooner or later we need to learn to Believe.
…
We simply need to believe in the power that's within us, and use it.
…
We simply need to believe in the power that's within us, and use it.
Location: 128
“From caring comes courage.” We might add that from it also comes wisdom, It's rather significant, we think, that those who have no compassion have no wisdom.
Location: 137
Do you want to be really happy? You can begin by being appreciative of who you are and what you've got. Do you want to be really miserable? You can begin by being discontented