Quote by Du Fu: “Myriad changes make life like a dream.”

This aphorism reflects on the ephemeral and unpredictable nature of existence. It suggests that life's many transformations and challenges make it seem surreal and impermanent, akin to a dream from which one may awaken, highlighting its transient quality.

Du Fu experienced the full spectrum of life's changes: success, poverty, war, and displacement. This quote reflects his mature perspective on the world's constant flux and the illusory nature of worldly affairs during his later, more reflective years.

Tang dynasty Chinese poet whose work earned him the title Poet Sage, one of the two supreme poets of classical Chinese literature alongside Li Bai. His poetry, unlike Li Bai's romanticism, is marked by Confucian social concern and direct engagement with the suffering caused by war and famine. He lived through the devastating An Lushan Rebellion and his poems of that period are considered among the greatest war poetry in any language.