Lu Xun's classic quotes

 　　1. Silence is the highest form of contempt.

　　2. The brave, in their anger, draw their swords against the stronger; the cowardly, in their anger, draw their swords against the weaker.
　　—From *Hua Gai Ji: Miscellaneous Thoughts*
　　3. Friendship is two hearts sincerely treating each other, not one heart pounding on another.
　　4. Just because it has always been this way, does that make it right?
　　—From *Diary of a Madman*
　　5. To seek comfort is to have no freedom; to seek freedom is to face danger. There are only these two paths.
　　—Lu Xun, *Selected Essays of Lu Xun*
　　6. A great heart should display this spirit—to greet tragic misfortune with a smile, and to face all adversity with tenfold courage.
　　7. Tragedy destroys what is valuable in life for people to see; comedy tears apart what is worthless for people to see.
　　—Lu Xun
　　8. Speak the truth in an age when everyone tells lies; possess a fulfilling heart in an age when everyone is numb.
　　—Lu Xun
　　9. My heart is vast and boundless, reaching the universe; in the silence, I hear thunder.
　　10. Genius is not a monster that grows wild in the deep forest; it is produced and nurtured by the people who can make genius grow. Therefore, without such people, there is no genius.

　　11. I am like an ox, eating grass and producing milk and blood.

　　12. Freedom cannot be bought with money, but it can be sold for money. —"What Happened After Nora Left?"

　　13. Life is measured in units of time. Wasting other people's time is tantamount to murder; wasting your own time is tantamount to slow suicide.

　　14. Time is like water in a sponge; if you are willing to squeeze, there will always be some left. Time is very precious to me.

　　15. Doing anything, no matter how big or small, without perseverance is very bad. Seeing everything as too difficult can certainly lead to failure, but seeing it as too easy can also lead to nothing.

　　16. To have one true friend in life is enough; the world should be viewed with a kindred spirit.

　　17. There are geniuses there; I simply use the time others spend drinking coffee on my work.

　　18. Great achievements are directly proportional to hard work. Every bit of effort yields a corresponding reward; accumulated over time, from small to large, miracles can be created.

　　19. I feel that with a smooth road ahead, why should one stop walking because of a small obstacle?

　　20. In the course of progress, there will always be those who drop out, those who flee, those who become dejected, and those who betray. However, as long as it doesn't hinder progress, the later the journey, the purer and more elite the team becomes.

　　21. Those who are pedantic should hurry up and do...

　　22. Great buildings are always built from individual pieces of wood and stone; why don't we do our part? That's why I often do odd jobs.

　　23. Empty talk doesn't last long and yields nothing; it will always be exposed by the mirror of reality, its true nature revealed.

　　24. Fate often favors the mediocre.

　　26. Either erupt in silence or perish in silence!

　　27. "Never be ashamed of being last." Even if slow, keep going without stopping. Even if you fall behind, even if you fail, you will surely reach your goal.

　　28. To criticize others for not being revolutionary makes one a revolutionary, while criticizing others for not doing their work makes one a doer. Arguing with such people will only lead to wasted breath and nothing, a wasted life, benefiting neither oneself nor others. I have now found a wonderful method: don't defend against rumors, don't refute slander, just focus on doing your own work.

　　29. Time is life. Wasting other people's time is tantamount to murder.

　　30. Reading only one person's works is not good: you won't gain a wide range of benefits. You must be like a bee, gathering nectar from many flowers to make honey. If you stay in one place, what you gain will be very limited and dull.

　　31. Hope is attached to existence; where there is existence, there is hope; where there is hope, there is light.

　　32. In middle-class Chinese families, there are generally only two ways to teach children. One is to let them be unruly, completely ignoring them. They can curse and even hit others; inside the house, they are tyrants and bullies, but outside, they are like spiders without their webs, utterly powerless. The other is to give them constant coldness or scolding, even worse than beatings, making them timid and withdrawn, like slaves or puppets. Yet the parents call this "obedience," considering it a success in education. When they go outside, they are like birds temporarily released from their cages; they will neither fly nor leap.

　　33. Time is like water in a sponge; if you're willing to squeeze, there's always some left.

　　34. Chinese people have poor memories. Because they have poor memories, what they heard yesterday they forget today, but hear again tomorrow and it still feels fresh. The same applies to doing things. If you do something wrong yesterday, you might forget it today, but if you do it again tomorrow, you'll still be doing the same old thing.

　　35. The Chinese temperament is generally inclined towards compromise and moderation. For example, if you say, "This room is too dark; we need to open a window here," everyone will definitely object. But if you advocate tearing down the roof, they'll compromise and agree to open a window.

　　36. A true hero dares to face the bleakness of life and the dripping blood. What kind of sorrowful and fortunate are they? Yet fate often designs for the mediocre, using the passage of time to wash away old traces, leaving only a pale red stain and a faint sorrow. In this pale red stain and faint sorrow, people are given a temporary reprieve, maintaining a life that is neither fully human nor fully inhuman. I don't know when such a world will end!

　　37. More than twenty years ago, everyone said that Zhu Yuanzhang (the Ming Taizu) was a revolutionary of the nation, but that's not actually the case. After becoming emperor, he called the Mongols "Great Yuan," and he killed Han people even more ruthlessly than the Mongols.

　　38. The poor man's child wanders the streets unkempt and dirty, while the rich man's child, pampered and spoiled, stays at home. When they grow up, they both wander aimlessly in society, just like their fathers, or even worse.

　　39. China is probably too old; everything in society, big or small, is utterly corrupt, like a black dye vat. No matter what new thing is added, it turns pitch black. But there is no other way but to find ways to reform. I think all idealists either yearn for the 'past' or 'hope for the future,' but they all fail at the question of the 'present,' because no one can offer a remedy. The best remedy, the so-called 'hope for the future,' is...
　　learning.

　　40. The ancients said that not reading makes one a fool, which is certainly true. However, the world is created by fools; intelligent people can never support it.

　　41. Genius is not a monster that grows wild in the deep forest; it is produced and nurtured by the people who can make genius grow. Therefore, without such people, there is no genius. Therefore, I think that before demanding the emergence of geniuses, we should first demand a populace capable of nurturing them. —For example, to grow tall trees and see beautiful flowers, one must have good soil; without soil, there are no flowers or trees; therefore, soil is actually more important than flowers and trees.


　　42. May Chinese youth all shake off apathy and strive upwards, paying no heed to the words of those who have given up on themselves. Those who can act should act, and those who can speak should speak. Give what little warmth and light you have, like a firefly; you can also emit a little light in the darkness, without waiting for a torch.

　　43. While the Chinese themselves are indeed not good at war, they do not curse war; while they themselves are indeed unwilling to fight, they do not sympathize with others who are unwilling to fight; though they think of themselves, they do not think of others.

　　44. Look, they defeated militarism, yet their critics still blame themselves and have many complaints. Dissatisfaction is the wheel of progress, capable of carrying the dissatisfied humanity forward towards humanity.

　　45. In China, especially in cities, if someone suddenly falls ill on the street, or is injured in a car accident, there are plenty of onlookers, even those who are happy, but very few are willing to lend a helping hand.

　　46. I always feel that foreigners are more civilized than the Chinese; they just line up their goods, but their character has much to learn. The Chinese rarely dare to criticize their own country's mistakes.

　　47. My previous attacks on society were actually quite pointless. Society is unaware of my attacks; if they were, I would be long dead… I survive because most of them are illiterate, ignorant, and my words have no effect, like an arrow shot into the sea. Otherwise, a few random thoughts could have been fatal. The people's desire for punishment is no less than that of scholars and warlords.

　　48. The masses, especially in China—are always spectators of drama. If the sacrifice appears generous, they see a tragedy; if it appears trembling with fear, they see a farce. In Beijing's mutton shops, how many people are there watching sheep being butchered, seemingly quite pleased? The benefit they receive from human sacrifice is nothing more than that. Moreover, they forget even this after walking a few steps.

　　49. I simply cannot understand why the Chinese are so calm about the old situation, yet so distressed about newer opportunities; so accommodating to established things; and so demanding and critical of new beginnings? 50.

　　As long as it has always been this way, it is a treasure. Even nameless boils, if they grow on a Chinese person, will be "as beautiful as peach blossoms when red and swollen; as beautiful as cheese when festering," wonderful beyond words.

　　51. "Unfortunately, the Chinese only show the ferocity of beasts to sheep, and the sheepness of beasts to beasts. So even if they show the ferocity of beasts, they are still a cowardly people. If this continues, they will surely perish." "I think that for China to be saved, nothing needs to be added. It is enough for the youth to reverse these two traditional uses; when the opponent is a beast, be a beast; when the opponent is a sheep, be a sheep!"

　　52. If the dead are not buried in the hearts of the living, then they are truly dead.

　　53. There is a contradictory thought among the Chinese: they want their descendants to live, and they themselves want to live a long life, never to die; but when they know there is no way to survive and death is inevitable, they hope their bodies will never decay.

　　54. The more bored and unremarkable a person is, the more they desire longevity and immortality; the more they like to take their own photos; the more they want to capture others' hearts; and the more adept they are at putting on airs.

　　55. Public property in China is truly difficult to preserve. If the authorities are laymen, they will ruin it; if they are experts, they will steal it.

　　56. Regardless of its origin, as long as it is food, the healthy generally don't need to think and simply accept it as edible. Only the frail and sick constantly worry about harming their stomach and body, imposing numerous prohibitions and taboos; they also have a whole set of reasons comparing advantages and disadvantages but ultimately failing to grasp the point, such as eating is harmless, but not eating is safer; eating may be beneficial, but ultimately it is better not to eat, and so on. But such people will inevitably grow weaker day by day, having already lost their vitality.

　　57. The Chinese dare not face all aspects squarely, using deception and trickery to create ingenious escape routes, which they consider the right path. This path proves the cowardice, laziness, and cunning of the national character. Each day brings satisfaction, which is also a day of decline, yet they feel increasingly glorious. In reality, each national subjugation adds a few more loyal martyrs, and afterwards, instead of restoring the old order, they only praise those few loyal ministers; each calamity creates a group of virtuous women who refuse to be dishonored, and afterwards, instead of punishing the perpetrators or defending themselves, they only sing the praises of those virtuous women.

　　58. The opposite of a despot is a lackey; when in power, they will do anything, and when out of power, they are utterly servile.

　　59. …Other countries have more tough men than China, partly because their tortures are less severe than China's. I have examined records of the killing of Christians in Europe, and their cruelty is indeed less than that of China. There are often young Chinese who remain steadfast to the death, but these are all kept secret. If they cannot endure torture to death, they must betray their friends; thus, the resolute perish, and the wavering become increasingly depraved. If this continues, there will be no good people left in China.

　　60. Patriots say that the Chinese love peace. But I don't understand why, if they love peace, there are years of war at home. Or perhaps this should be revised: the Chinese love peace with foreigners.

　　61. The brave are angry and draw their swords against the stronger; the cowardly are angry and draw their swords against the weaker. In an incurable nation, there must be many heroes who only glare at children. These cowards! Their grandchildren grow up under their glares, and then glare at other children, thinking: they live their whole lives in anger.

　　63. ...The upbringing of scholars. Holding their breath and bowing their heads, not daring to make a move. Looking down at the underworld, looking at the sky is arrogance; their faces are full of deathly expressions, and laughing is insolence.

　　64. Many historical lessons have been learned at great cost. For example, when it comes to food, we seem to be used to certain poisonous things that cannot be eaten. However, it is only after many people have died from eating them that we have learned this. Therefore, I think the first person to eat a crab is admirable; who but a brave person would dare to eat it? Crabs are eaten by some, and spiders must have been eaten by others too, but they weren't tasty, so later generations stopped eating them. We should be extremely grateful to such people.

　　65. People who have come from impoverished backgrounds, once they become wealthy, tend to fall into two categories: one is an idealist who considers the plight of others in similar circumstances, thus becoming a humanitarian; the other is someone who earns everything themselves, and whose past experiences make them feel that everything is cruel, thus becoming an individualist. In China, we probably have more individualists.

　　66. Since the beginning of history, the Chinese people have been slaughtered, enslaved, plundered, tortured, and oppressed by their own kind. They have personally experienced suffering beyond human endurance. Every examination makes one feel as if they are not living in the human world.

　　67. There were originally no roads in the world, but as more people walk on them, roads are formed.

　　68. I will face a thousand pointing fingers with a cold eye, yet bow my head to serve the people like an ox

　　. 69. China is full of walls, yet invisible, like a "ghost wall," making you feel like you can "bump" into them at any time. Those who can break through these walls, those who can bump into them without feeling pain, are the victors.

　　70. All new things begin this way: many are enthusiastic at first, but soon they grow cold and give up, because they understand that it cannot be done without hard work, and only those who truly want to do it can endure this pain. 71. Only revolutionaries, whether alive or dead, can bring happiness to everyone.

　　72. There were originally no roads in the world, but as more people walk on them, roads are formed.

　　73. Whenever I watch sports meets, I often think this: the winners are certainly admirable, but those competitors who, though lagging behind, still run to the finish line, and the spectators who, seeing such competitors, remain solemn and do not laugh, are precisely the backbone of China's future.

　　73. I do dissect others from time to time, but I dissect myself even more ruthlessly
　　. 74. Life is too comfortable, and work becomes a burden.
　　· Both are dissatisfied with the status quo, but their methods of breaking it are different: one is innovation, the other is restoration.

　　75. Since people love to eat things like crabs, then someone must have eaten spiders too, only to stop later knowing they weren't tasty. But the first person to eat a crab must have been a brave soul.

　　76. A drop of water, viewed under a microscope, is also a vast world.

　　77. Society reveres celebrities, thus assuming their words are profound truths, forgetting the scholarship or career that earned them their fame.

　　78. China will not budge unless a strong whip is lashed across its back. 79.

　　Happiness resides forever in humanity's restless pursuit, not in harmony and stability. 80.

　　Nature has bestowed many disharmonyes upon humanity, and humanity itself has many ways of withering, degenerating, and regressing, yet life will never turn back because of this.

　　81. I have never hesitated to speculate about the Chinese with the worst possible malice!

　　82. Individual life is precious, but the truth of a generation is even more precious; if life is sacrificed but the truth is revealed to the world, then death is worthwhile.

　　83. Cultivate in them the physical strength for endurance, pure and noble morality, and a broad and free spirit capable of embracing new trends—the strength to swim in the new currents of the world without being drowned.

　　84. Reflecting on the past often serves the purpose of the present.

　　85. Expressing contempt for someone is not necessarily true contempt. Silence is the highest form of contempt—the highest contempt is being speechless, and not even turning one's eyes away. —Lu Xun Quotes

　　86. I'd rather fight openly with the enemy than be plotted against by my own people.

　　87. I love my wild grass, but I despise the ground decorated with wild grass.

　　88. Great buildings are always built piece by piece, one piece of wood and one piece of stone. Why don't we do our part, one piece of wood and one piece of stone? I often do small, miscellaneous things for this reason.
　　89. It's always harder to reform oneself than to forbid others.
　　90. What is intense and quick to rise is also calm and quick to fall into decadence.
　　91. When talking with celebrities, pretend you occasionally don't understand what they're saying. Too little understanding will be looked down upon, too much understanding will be disliked. Occasional misunderstandings are the most suitable for both parties.

　　92. Time is life. Wasting other people's time pointlessly is tantamount to murder.

　　93. If you try to consider everything, you won't get anything done.
　　94. In fact, pioneers are often the ones who become stumbling blocks.

　　95. Lies written in ink can never cover up facts written in blood.

　　96. Facts are merciless; they can shatter empty words.

　　97. Immaturity is to maturity as a child is to the elderly; there is no shame in it. The same applies to works of art; initial immaturity is not shameful.

　　98. Too much knowledge leads to either a restless mind or a soft heart. A restless mind leads to wild thoughts, and a soft heart prevents one from taking drastic measures… Therefore, knowledge must be eradicated.
　　99. A flawed warrior is still a warrior, and a precious fly is still just a fly. — Lu Xun's famous quote
　　100. Enemies are not to be feared; the most terrifying are the termites within one's own ranks. Many things are ruined by them.
　　101. Those who were once wealthy want to restore the past, those who are currently wealthy want to maintain the status quo, and those who have never been wealthy want to innovate—that's generally how it is!
　　102. Not keeping one's word is a major flaw of the Chinese.
　　Some Chinese scholar-officials always love to fabricate stories out of thin air, piecing together tales from various sources. They not only praise their own lives but also whitewash the darkness within.
　　103. Humanity is never lonely, believing life is progressive and innate.

　　104. We Chinese always find pleasure in destroying things that are not ours, or things that will not belong to us.

　　105. Since ancient times, we have had those who bury themselves in hard work, those who fight desperately, those who plead for the people, and those who sacrifice themselves for the law…

　　106. China has always lacked heroes who have failed, lacked resilient resistance, lacked warriors who dare to fight alone, and lacked mourners who dare to weep for traitors; they flock together when victory is in sight and flee when defeat is imminent.

　　107. We must dare to face reality squarely before we can hope to dare to think, dare to speak, dare to act, and dare to take responsibility.

　　108. Our most urgent tasks at present are: first, survival; second, food and clothing; and third, development.

　　109. Everything must be studied before it can be understood.

　　110. The more difficult it is, the more we must do it. Reform has never been smooth sailing.
　　111. A race that cannot innovate cannot preserve the old ways.

　　112. I feel that the anger and resentment accumulated by the Chinese people is already enough, naturally caused by the oppression of the strong. But they don't really resist the strong; instead, they vent their anger on the weak. Soldiers and bandits don't fight each other, yet unarmed civilians suffer at the hands of soldiers and bandits. This is the most convenient evidence. To put it more bluntly, it might also prove the cowardice of these people. Cowardly people, even with boundless anger, can only burn weak grass.

　　113. I used to think that people were guilty, so they were executed or imprisoned. Now I realize that many of them were first considered "hateful," and only then did they commit crimes. 114.

　　A person's life is precious, but the truth of an era is even more precious. If life is sacrificed but the truth is revealed to the world, then this death is worthwhile.

　　115. Although the Chinese have imagined various ideal havens for surviving, they have unfortunately never realized them. But I have discovered one for them, which you probably know: Beijing's First Prison. This prison is located in an open area outside Xuanwu Gate, safe from neighboring fires; two meals a day, no worries about hunger or cold; regular living arrangements, no harm to life; sturdy construction, no collapse; guarded by prison soldiers, no re-offending; and no robbers will ever come to rob it. Living there is incredibly safe, truly "a son of a wealthy family would not sit under a dangerous roof." But one thing is missing: freedom.

　　116. It is better to be disliked by others than to remain silent.

　　117. In fact, the Chinese are not without self-awareness; the shortcoming lies in some people's contentment with self-deception, and thus wanting to deceive others. For example, a patient suffering from edema avoids medical treatment, hoping others will misunderstand and mistake it for obesity.

　　118. Patriots say that the Chinese love peace. But I don't understand why, if they love peace, there is constant warfare in the country. Or perhaps this should be revised: Chinese people are peace-loving towards foreigners.

　　119. I understand now why declining nations remain silent. Silence! Silence! Either erupt in silence, or perish in silence. —Lu Xun quote

　　120. We Chinese always like to say we love peace, but in reality, we love struggle, we love watching others struggle, and we love watching ourselves struggle.
　　121. The Chinese are inherently a people who like to be "first," getting on and off trams, buying train tickets, sending registered letters—they always want to be the first to arrive.

　　122. Who says the Chinese are not good at change? When something new comes in, although initially rejected, once something proves reliable, they naturally change. However, it's not about adapting themselves to the new thing, but about adapting the new thing to themselves.
　　123. Your resistance is for the hope of the coming of light, isn't it? ...But my resistance is nothing more than disrupting the darkness.

　　124. Whether the results of experience are good or bad, they always come at a great cost; even small things inevitably incur a staggering price.

　　124. Chinese society, though supposedly "morally sound," actually lacks a spirit of mutual love and assistance. Even virtues like "filial piety" and "fierce loyalty" are often merely methods used by others to oppress the weak without any real responsibility.
　　125. Morality must be universal, something everyone should do, something everyone can do, and something that benefits both oneself and others to have any value.
　　126. If there are still people in the world who truly want to live, they should first dare to speak, dare to laugh, dare to cry, dare to be angry, dare to curse, and dare to fight, thus repelling this cursed era in this cursed place.
　　127. Man should certainly live, but for the sake of evolution; he may suffer, but for the sake of relieving all future suffering; he should fight, but for the sake of reform.
　　128. The most painful thing in life is waking up to find there is no way to go. Those who dream are happy; if they don't see a way to go, the most important thing is not to wake them. —Lu Xun's famous quote
　　129. Hope is neither something that exists nor something that doesn't exist. It's like a path on the ground; originally there was no path, but as more people walk on it, it becomes a path.
　　130. When I am silent, I feel fulfilled; when I am about to speak, I feel empty.
　　131. Despair is just as illusory as hope.
　　132. I understood before you said it, but the more you say, the more confused I get.
　　133. In my backyard, I can see two trees outside the wall, one is a jujube tree, and the other is also a jujube tree. — A famous quote by Lu Xun

　　134. In the midst of passionate singing, I feel a chill; in the sky, I see an abyss; in everything, I see nothing; in despair, I find salvation.

　　135. Imagine an iron house, utterly without windows and impossible to break down, where many people are fast asleep, soon to suffocate. They will die in their sleep, unaware of the sorrow of their impending death. Now you shout, waking a few of the more conscious ones, forcing these unfortunate few to suffer the inescapable agony of their final moments. Do you think you've done right by them?


　　136. A nation with many people who "don't feel ashamed of being last" is unlikely to collapse overnight, no matter what. Whenever I see sports meets, I often think this: the winners are certainly admirable, but those who, though lagging behind, still run to the finish line, and the spectators who remain solemn and don't laugh at such competitors, are precisely the backbone of China's future.

　　137. My mind is powerless to escape the arrows of fate, the wind and rain darken my homeland, my thoughts are entrusted to the cold stars, but they are not understood; I offer my blood to the Yellow Emperor.

　　138. Many things in China have become mere empty names and facades, simply because of a lack of seriousness.

　　139. The fundamental mistake in discussing education with the "education authorities" is misinterpreting the essence of those four words; thinking they are there to run "education." In reality, they are mostly there to act as "authorities."

　　140. But I am truly hesitant about the subsequent policy: should I focus on writing articles or teaching? Because these two things are irreconcilable: writing requires passion, teaching requires composure. ... I think to myself, if I were to write something, it might be of some small benefit to China, and it would be a pity not to write; but if I were to research something about Chinese literature, I could probably say something that others haven't seen, so it seems a pity to give it up. — Lu Xun's quote

　　150. Look at how insidious and insidious the henchmen of the "modern" school are, truly terrifying and detestable. However, I think they are really difficult to deal with. For example, if I were to deal with these people, I would have to put aside other things and use a different approach, neglecting my main profession, and the results would be limited. The reason why all the scholars of the "modern" school are shallow is because they are distracted by such vulgar matters.

　　151. After having a child, one must also think about how to educate the child so that the child born will become a complete person in the future.

　　151. One cannot regard everyone as a bad person; one should help those who can, but it is best to act within one's ability and not risk one's life.