'...in the West, the insane are so many that they are put in an asylum, in China the insane are so unusual that we worship them . . . .' (p. 3)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Western and Chinese attitudes toward mental illness differ significantly in how they categorize and treat it.
- In plain terms
- The West asylums many while China worships few.
- What can you take from it?
- Cultural views on madness vary widely.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does your culture view difference?
- Is madness seen as gift or illness?
Another view
Generalizations about cultures may overlook internal diversity.
More from Lin Yutang
'...it is not when he is working in his office but when he is lying idly on the sand that his soul utters, 'Life is beautiful.'' (p. 2)
Permalink to quote #1 '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.' (p. 8)
Permalink to quote #3 'A reasonable naturalist then settles down to this life with a sort of animal satisfaction. As Chinese illiterate women put it, 'Others gave birth to us and we…
Permalink to quote #4
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