What you can learn from Winnie the Pooh

Benjamin Hoff brings together the two worlds of Chinese philosophy and Winnie the Pooh in his book, The Tao of Pooh. I saw it as a curious connection at first, but became thoroughly convinced that Winnie the Pooh is a Daoist monk by the end of the book.This book is fun and a good introduction to the world of Chinese philosophy, with familiar characters and memorable stories.Here are my notes and quotes:

“Sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind”“One disease, long life; no disease, short life”Start small“I think, therefore I am confused”“When you try too hard, it doesn’t work”“Busy” is unintentional, wasteful, superficial, externally motivated. “Busy” is a bad thing to be.We can either spend time wisely or foolishly“To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things everyday.” – Lao zi