I once tried thinking for an entire day, but I found it less valuable than one moment of study. I once tried standing up on my toes to see far out in the distance, but I found that I could see much farther by climbing to a high place.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Thinking alone is less valuable than study; standing on toes is less effective than climbing high.
- In plain terms
- Study is better than pure thought, and gaining height is better than straining to see.
- What can you take from it?
- Leverage tools and knowledge rather than relying only on raw effort.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did learning help you more than thinking?
- What tools elevate your perspective?
Another view
Raw contemplation can sometimes be more valuable than rote study.
More from Xun Zi
The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.
Permalink to quote #2 When you locate good in yourself, approve of it with determination. When you locate evil in yourself, despise it as something detestable.
Permalink to quote #3 In order to properly understand the big picture, everyone should fear becoming mentally clouded and obsessed with one small section of truth.
Permalink to quote #4
Related quotes
That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way.
Doris LessingDoris Lessing quote #4 Whence thy learning? Hath thy toil O'er books consumed the midnight oil?
John GayJohn Gay quote #5 He had read much, if one considers his long life; but his contemplation was much more then his reading. He was wont to say that if he had read as much as other…
John AubreyJohn Aubrey quote #5