Writer and translator Lin Yutang (1895–1976) was born in southeastern China near Xiamen. The son of a Christian minister, he later studied abroad and spent much of his life writing for English-speaking readers.

He observed, “It is not so much what you believe in that matters, as the way you believe it—and how you translate that belief into action.”

Known for opening doors between cultures, he translated Chinese classics and shared the philosophy of Lao Tzu, giving Western readers the opportunity to read and enjoy the wisdom of his homeland.

“The wise man reads both books and life itself,” he said. A student of Taoism and Buddhism, he also wrote, “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non‑essentials.”

His ageless bestseller, The Importance of Living (1937), celebrates simple joys. He imagined a person “lying idly on the sand” hearing the soul whisper that life is beautiful.

With gentle wisdom, he looked at life with quiet awe and gratitude. “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow,” he wrote.