Not thoroughly understanding the unity of the way, Both (activity and quiescence) are failures.

"In other words, mere activity, activity without quiescence, mere quiescence without inner activity, are no good, neither has its proper quality and function. Freedom is impossible without law, man is nothing without God, illusion nonexistent except for enlightenment, this is this because that is that. But freedom and law, illusion and enlightenment, this and that are two names of one thing. Unless this is realized (in practical life) none of these is its real self. This is not this until and unless it is that; only when the two are one are they really two.

"In practical life, this means that the composure we feel at home among our family, is only an illusion that is broken when we go out into the world and meet with vexation and disappointment, becoming irritated and depressed. Our activity when playing chess is not the true activity, as we see when we are beaten and our opponent's face and voice become hateful to us. It lacks the balance that preserves the mind from spite though we properly enough feel gloomy at losing.

"In the poetical life it is equally important that we realize, through each [and] all of the senses, that true diversity comes from unity. Even in the scientific world, the nature, for example, of a many-legged caterpillar is only understood when we know it is a six-legged insect. The nature of feathers, skin, hair, nails, scales, and so on is perceived when we find that they are all one thing. The poet delights in all the many names of things, because he knows in his heart that as Laotse said:

'The name that can be named is not an eternal name.'