“The fish trap exists because of the fish; once you’ve gotten the fish, you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit; once you’ve gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning; once you’ve gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.
Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word with him?”
— Zhuangzi, chapter 26
translation: Burton Watson
To consider:
Which of us is still carrying the trap around after the fish is already in the boat?
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