牛马四足，是谓天；落马首，穿牛鼻，是谓人。故曰，无以人灭天，无以故灭命，无以得殉名，谨守而勿失，是谓反其真。
牛马生着四足，这是天性；给马戴上笼头，给牛穿上鼻绳，就是人为。所以说，不要人为毁灭天性，不要用故意造作去毁灭天命，不要以德行去为名利殉葬，谨守天道勿使丧失，这就叫返归本真。
Freedom was a thing that shifted as you looked at it, the way a forest is dense with trees up close but from outside, from the empty meadow, you see its true limits. Being free had nothing to do with chains or how wide your cage was.