--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not to be bound by rules, but to be…" description: "\"Not to be bound by rules, but to be creating one's own rules-this is the kind of life which Zen is trying to have us live.\" — D.T. Suzuki" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/d-t-suzuki-8748_bounds_not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creat_1717976.jpg" --- # Not to be bound by rules, but to be creating one's own… ![“Not to be bound by rules, but to be creating one's own rules-this is the kind of life which Zen is trying to have us live.” quote by D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/d-t-suzuki-8748_bounds_not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creat_1717976.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/d-t-suzuki-8748_bounds_not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creat_1717976.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/d-t-suzuki-8748_bounds_not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creat_1717976.jpg) > “Not to be bound by rules, but to be creating one's own rules-this is the kind of life which Zen is trying to have us live.” [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Zen encourages personal freedom through self‑crafted principles rather than external constraints. **In simple terms:** Create your own rules for a freer life. Key Takeaway Live authentically, define your own path. Themes freedom individualism spirituality Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - personal growth - creative work - decision making - life planning Key Concepts Zen philosophy self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance personal rules with societal duties? - What risks arise from rejecting all external guidelines? A Different Perspective May overlook social responsibility or ethical limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) ## Related quotes > [For me, style is about forgetting the rules or creating new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-heyert/for-me-style-is-about-forgetting-the-rules-or-creating-new-ones/) Elizabeth Heyert > [We have to be careful about creating more rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-parker/we-have-to-be-careful-about-creating-more-rules/) [Paul Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-parker/) > [I don't follow the rules. That's kind of how I do everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neon-hitch/i-don-t-follow-the-rules-that-s-kind-of-how-i-do-everything/) [Neon Hitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neon-hitch/) > [I don't like rules of any kind. And I seek people who break rules with happiness - and not bringing pain to themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/i-don-t-like-rules-of-any-kind-and-i-seek-people-who-break-rules-with/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Zen is not a morality. It never talks about right and wrong. It never talks about the saint and the sinner. It is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/zen-is-not-a-morality-it-never-talks-about-right-and-wrong-it-never/) [OSHO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Well, I believe life is a Zen koan, that is, an unsolvable riddle. But the contemplation of that riddle - even though it cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/well-i-believe-life-is-a-zen-koan-that-is-an-unsolvable-riddle-but/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I could say I believe in every drop of rain that . . . Well, I believe life is a Zen koan, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-could-say-i-believe-in-every-drop-of-rain-that-well-i-believe-life/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Most writers agree on the fact that Zen is not to be understood but to be lived; and far from being incompatible with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-linssen/most-writers-agree-on-the-fact-that-zen-is-not-to-be-understood-but/) [Robert Linssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-linssen/) > [“4. Buddha, the Universal Life. Zen conceives Buddha as a Being, who moves, stirs, inspires, enlivens, and vitalizes everything. Accordingly, we may call Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/4-buddha-the-universal-life-zen-conceives-buddha-as-a-being-who-moves/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“Certainly human culture may have achieved great progress in the course of history. Suffering and unhappiness in the human world, however, do not seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zenkei-shibayama/certainly-human-culture-may-have-achieved-great-progress-in-the/) Zenkei Shibayama > [The life of Zen begins, therefore, in a disillusion with the pursuit of goals which do not really exist the good without the bad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-life-of-zen-begins-therefore-in-a-disillusion-with-the-pursuit-of/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [We have committed ourselves to pursue joint policies, but then national governments say, "We aren't bound by that." That is a dramatic situation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-have-committed-ourselves-to-pursue-joint-policies-but-then/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [If the civil magistrate be a Christian, a disciple or follower of the meek Lamb of God, he is bound to be far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/if-the-civil-magistrate-be-a-christian-a-disciple-or-follower-of-the/) [Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) ## More by D.T. Suzuki > [The worst passion we mortals cherish is the desire to possess. Even when we know that our final destination is a hole not more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/the-worst-passion-we-mortals-cherish-is-the-desire-to-possess-even/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [Copying is slavery. The letter must never be followed, only the spirit is to be grasped. Higher affirmations live in the spirit. And where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/copying-is-slavery-the-letter-must-never-be-followed-only-the-spirit/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [Zen, in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-in-its-essence-is-the-art-of-seeing-into-the-nature-of-one-s-own/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [The mistake consists in our splitting into two what is really and absolutely one. Is not life one as we live it, which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/the-mistake-consists-in-our-splitting-into-two-what-is-really-and/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [Until we recognize the SELF that exists apart from who we think we are - we cannot know the Ch'an ( ZEN ) MIND](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/until-we-recognize-the-self-that-exists-apart-from-who-we-think-we/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [Facts of experience are valued in Zen more than representations, symbols, and concepts-that is to say, substance is everything in Zen and form nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/facts-of-experience-are-valued-in-zen-more-than-representations/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [The claim of the Zen followers that they are transmitting the essence of Buddhism is based on their belief that Zen takes hold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/the-claim-of-the-zen-followers-that-they-are-transmitting-the-essence/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [When we start to feel anxious or depressed, instead of asking, "What do I need to get to be happy?" The question becomes, "What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/when-we-start-to-feel-anxious-or-depressed-instead-of-asking-what-do/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [Zen abhors repetition or imitation of any kind, for it kills. For the same reason Zen never explains, but only affirms. Life is fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-abhors-repetition-or-imitation-of-any-kind-for-it-kills-for-the/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [To point at the moon a finger is needed, but woe to those who take the finger for the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/to-point-at-the-moon-a-finger-is-needed-but-woe-to-those-who-take-the/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [One has not understood until one has forgotten it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/one-has-not-understood-until-one-has-forgotten-it/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [That's why I love philosophy: no one wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/that-s-why-i-love-philosophy-no-one-wins/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [Zen opens a man's eyes to the greatest mystery as it is daily and hourly performed; it enlarges the heart to embrace eternity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-opens-a-man-s-eyes-to-the-greatest-mystery-as-it-is-daily-and/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [“Modern life seems to recede further and further away from nature, and closely connected with this fact we seem to be losing the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/modern-life-seems-to-recede-further-and-further-away-from-nature-and/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [Zen Makes use, to a great extent, of poetical expressions; Zen is wedded to poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-makes-use-to-a-great-extent-of-poetical-expressions-zen-is-wedded/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) [Explore all 78 D.T. Suzuki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) ## More Bounds quotes > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [If the civil magistrate be a Christian, a disciple or follower of the meek Lamb of God, he is bound to be far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/if-the-civil-magistrate-be-a-christian-a-disciple-or-follower-of-the/) [Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/) > [We have committed ourselves to pursue joint policies, but then national governments say, "We aren't bound by that." That is a dramatic situation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-have-committed-ourselves-to-pursue-joint-policies-but-then/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [Christian obligation cannot be made to accord with a law of expediency. The Christian's maxims are, Do right because you are bound to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-landey-patton/christian-obligation-cannot-be-made-to-accord-with-a-law-of/) Francis Landey Patton > [Such as the chain of causes we call Fate, such is the chain of wishes: one links on to another; the whole man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/such-as-the-chain-of-causes-we-call-fate-such-is-the-chain-of-wishes/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) > [It is only when our life proceeds within bounds and in an accepted, disciplined way, that the mind can be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/it-is-only-when-our-life-proceeds-within-bounds-and-in-an-accepted/) [Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/) > [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science…It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-quite-conscious-that-my-speculations-run-beyond-the-bounds-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 1,649 Bounds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Not to be bound by rules, but to be creating one's own rules-this is the kind of life which Zen is trying to have us live.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D.T. Suzuki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creating-one-s-own-rules-this-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bounds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creating-one-s-own-rules-this-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/d-t-suzuki-8748_bounds_not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creat_1717976.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/d-t-suzuki-8748_bounds_not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creat_1717976.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81e/d-t-suzuki-8748_bounds_not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creat_1717976.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not to be bound by rules, but to be creating one's own rules-this is the kind of life which Zen is trying to…” — D.T. Suzuki", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "D.T. Suzuki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Not to be bound by rules,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creating-one-s-own-rules-this-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/not-to-be-bound-by-rules-but-to-be-creating-one-s-own-rules-this-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```