Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In Philosophy of the Tao, Pt. 1, Alan Watts shows how the ancient Chinese farmer teaches the power of ‘maybe’ - the wisdom of not rushing to judgement.
Full remastered talk now available on our channel
“Another story that is told is about the farmer who lost a horse, ran away, and all his friends came round and said, “That’s too bad.” And he said, “Maybe.” The next day, the horse returned and it brought seven wild horses with it. And they said, “My, that’s great.” And he said, “Maybe.” The next day, his son, in attempting to train one of these horses, was thrown and broke a leg. And everybody came around and said, “Oh, that’s too bad.” And he said, “Maybe.”
The next day, the conscription officers came around and rejected his son because he had a broken leg. And everybody came to congratulate him and said, “Isn’t that great?” And he said, “Maybe.” So you see, this farmer was with the course of things, and he knew it goes this way and it goes that way—it goes up and it goes down. Because if it didn’t go down, you would never know you were up. And if you try to be permanently up, or always right, you’re trying to arrange everything in this room so that everything is up and nothing is down, or that everything’s on the front and there’s no back. And that is an impossible state of affairs.”
#alanwatts #taoist #proverb #philosophy #alanwattswisdom #alanwattsquotes
▶ Complete Alan Watts audio & video series | alanwatts.com
▶ Alan Watts App iOS | tinyurl.com/AWappAppleiOS
▶ Alan Watts App Android | tinyurl.com/AWappAndroid
▶ Alan Watts Instagram | instagram.com/alanwattsorg
▶ Alan Watts Org | alanwatts.org
▶ Who is Alan Watts? | alanwatts.org/life-of-alan-watts
“Perhaps the foremost interpreter of Eastern disciplines for the contemporary West, Alan Watts had the rare gift of ‘writing beautifully the un-writable’. Watts begins with scholarship and intellect and proceeds with art and eloquence to the frontiers of the spirit. A fascinating entry into the deepest ways of knowing.” — Los Angeles Times
#alanwatts #alanwattsphilosophy #alanwattswisdom #ramdas #meditate #meditation #justbe #breathe #calm #relax #peace #innerpeace #simplify #selfcare #universe #hereandnow #therealyou #wakeup #nature #trust #alanwattsquotes #wisdom #consciousness #attention #philosophy #polarity #duality #release #zen #zenbones #alanwattsquotes #motivation #motivational
In Philosophy of the Tao, Pt. 1, Alan Watts shows how the ancient Chinese farmer teaches the power of ‘maybe’ - the wisdom of not rushing to judgement.
Full remastered talk now available on our channel
“Another story that is told is about the farmer who lost a horse, ran away, and all his friends came round and said, “That’s too bad.” And he said, “Maybe.” The next day, the horse returned and it brought seven wild horses with it. And they said, “My, that’s great.” And he said, “Maybe.” The next day, his son, in attempting to train one of these horses, was thrown and broke a leg. And everybody came around and said, “Oh, that’s too bad.” And he said, “Maybe.”
The next day, the conscription officers came around and rejected his son because he had a broken leg. And everybody came to congratulate him and said, “Isn’t that great?” And he said, “Maybe.” So you see, this farmer was with the course of things, and he knew it goes this way and it goes that way—it goes up and it goes down. Because if it didn’t go down, you would never know you were up. And if you try to be permanently up, or always right, you’re trying to arrange everything in this room so that everything is up and nothing is down, or that everything’s on the front and there’s no back. And that is an impossible state of affairs.”
#alanwatts #taoist #proverb #philosophy #alanwattswisdom #alanwattsquotes
▶ Complete Alan Watts audio & video series | alanwatts.com
▶ Alan Watts App iOS | tinyurl.com/AWappAppleiOS
▶ Alan Watts App Android | tinyurl.com/AWappAndroid
▶ Alan Watts Instagram | instagram.com/alanwattsorg
▶ Alan Watts Org | alanwatts.org
▶ Who is Alan Watts? | alanwatts.org/life-of-alan-watts
“Perhaps the foremost interpreter of Eastern disciplines for the contemporary West, Alan Watts had the rare gift of ‘writing beautifully the un-writable’. Watts begins with scholarship and intellect and proceeds with art and eloquence to the frontiers of the spirit. A fascinating entry into the deepest ways of knowing.” — Los Angeles Times
#alanwatts #alanwattsphilosophy #alanwattswisdom #ramdas #meditate #meditation #justbe #breathe #calm #relax #peace #innerpeace #simplify #selfcare #universe #hereandnow #therealyou #wakeup #nature #trust #alanwattsquotes #wisdom #consciousness #attention #philosophy #polarity #duality #release #zen #zenbones #alanwattsquotes #motivation #motivational
![[Full Talk Drop] Alan Watts -Philosophy of the Tao pt 1. #alanwatts](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iCFxRCQAXdQ/mqdefault.jpg "[Full Talk Drop] Alan Watts -Philosophy of the Tao pt 1. #alanwatts
[Full Talk Drop] Alan Watts -Philosophy of the Tao pt 1. #alanwatts")
