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Great works are done when one is not calculating and thinking.
D.T. Suzuki
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Interpretation

What this quote means

True creativity happens when we are not overly analytical or calculating.

This quote by D.T. Suzuki emphasizes the idea that great achievements and creative works are often born out of intuitive actions rather than meticulous planning and calculation. It suggests that when we allow ourselves to act freely and trust our instincts instead of overthinking, we are more likely to produce profound and meaningful outcomes.

Themes

CreativityInstinctWorkFreedomIntuitionAchievement

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech about embracing your creative side.

More from D.T. Suzuki

Zen, in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom. By making us drink right from the fountain of life it liberates us from all the yokes under which we finite beings are usually suffering in this world.
D.T. SuzukiRead
The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded. Therefore, anything that has the semblance of an external authority is rejected by Zen. Absolute faith is placed in a man's own inner being. For whatever authority there is in Zen, all comes from within.
D.T. SuzukiRead
Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?
D.T. SuzukiRead
The rocks are where they are- and this is their will. The rivers flow- and this is their will. The birds fly- this is their will. Human beings talk- this is their will. The seasons change, heaven sends down rain or snow, the earth occasionally shakes, the waves roll, the stars shine- each of them follows its own will. To be is to will and so is to become.
D.T. SuzukiRead
Enlightenment is like everyday consciousness but two inches above the ground.
D.T. SuzukiRead
We teach ourselves; Zen merely points the way.
D.T. SuzukiRead

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