The advantage of being useless

山木自寇也,
膏火自煎也。
桂可食,故伐之;
漆可用,故割之。
人皆知有用之用,
而莫知無用之用也。

Mountain trees self-destruct,
Lamp tallow self-immolates.
Cinnamon is edible, so it is cleaved;
Varnish is useful, so it is cut.
All men know the advantage of being useful,
but none know the advantage of being useless.

— 莊子 [Zhuang Zi], Zhuang Zi, “Transactions in the World of Men” (“人間世”).

About the author

Laremy Lee

A versatile educator, writer and editor, Laremy Lee (李庭辉) has the uncanny knack of being one of the few among his generation in Singapore who crafts compelling stories in different genres.

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