The Tao of Pooh

The Tao of Pooh 

by Benjamin Hoff

The most important thing to learn is not how your brain works and how to improve it, it is what your spirit enjoys and how to nourish it.

My friend Jean Paul recommended me to read this book. It explains Taoism through the adventures of the characters of Winnie Pooh. The book is full of quotes meant to show the value of tranquility of mind, having an effortless demeanor,  and living a stress-free-everything-will-be-alright life.

The examples from Winnie Pooh portray multiple situations where Pooh's positive and optimistic attitude keeps him focused on solving a problem that none of the other characters seem to be able to solve.

Here are some of the my favorite quotes and lessons from the book:

• Wisdom and Knowledge are both important — there is more to knowing than being correct.
• People are often busy doing activities, searching for a reward. Often what they crave is the tranquility they would have if they did not start doing those activities in the first place.
• Life is full of little rewards… Great rewards are usually over rated.
• “It is widely known that a spirit of one man can inspire an army of a thousand” 
• Nothing is something —> everything else is a little more than nothing
• “To attain knowledge, add things every day; to attain wisdom, remove things every day”
• Attitude, energy and vibes usually follow a snowball effect —they are sticky and they compound. It is up to you to decide if the effect that you produce will be positive or negative.

Here is a chapter-by-chapter summary of the lessons I learned from the book - link