--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, there was a Chinese farmer whose…" description: "\"“Well, there was a Chinese farmer whose stallion ran away one day across the border to where a group of nomads lived. When the people from the farmer’s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/steven-james-20892_cursed_well-there-was-a-chinese-farmer-whose-st_2451345.jpg" --- # Well, there was a Chinese farmer whose stallion ran away… ![“Well, there was a Chinese farmer whose stallion ran away one day across the border to where a group of nomads lived. When the people from the farmer’s village tell him that he must be cursed, he says, ‘Who’s to say it’s not a blessing?’ So then, about a month later the stallion returns with a mare…” quote by Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/steven-james-20892_cursed_well-there-was-a-chinese-farmer-whose-st_2451345.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/steven-james-20892_cursed_well-there-was-a-chinese-farmer-whose-st_2451345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fde/steven-james-20892_cursed_well-there-was-a-chinese-farmer-whose-st_2451345.jpg) > ““Well, there was a Chinese farmer whose stallion ran away one day across the border to where a group of nomads lived. When the people from the farmer’s village tell him that he must be cursed, he says, ‘Who’s to say it’s not a blessing?’ So then, about a month later the stallion returns with a mare beside it. All of his friends comment on his good fortune that he now has two horses rather than just one, but he says, ‘Who’s to say it’s not a curse?’ Well, his son goes riding all the time on that new mare, and one day he falls and breaks his leg so badly that he can’t walk anymore without a cane. Then when the people try to sympathize with the farmer, he says, ‘Who’s to say it’s not a blessing?’ So time goes by and war breaks out with the people from beyond the border, and all the men from the farmer’s village who’re able to fight go into battle, but since the boy has this disability he can’t go. Most of the men die in that war but the boy survives and is able to care for his father even into his old age. And so, curses and blessings—who’s to say which is which?”” [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Events labeled as blessings or curses are ambiguous; outcomes shift over time, showing the fluidity of fortune and misfortune. **In simple terms:** Good and bad events can change meaning as life unfolds. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty in interpreting events. Themes fate perception fortune war family resilience Mood thoughtful philosophical Type narrative moral reflective When to use this quote - personal decision‑making - conflict resolution - health crises - war contexts - family caregiving Key Concepts philosophy of luck causality human agency storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How do you label unexpected events? - Can a misfortune become a benefit later? 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Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-a-nielsen/) > [A Poem from Edna St. Vincent Millay: Grown-up Was it for this I uttered prayers, And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs, That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/a-poem-from-edna-st-vincent-millay-grown-up-was-it-for-this-i-uttered/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [ I cursed \[Larry Merchant\] out once, and I told him that he was a phony. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-cursed-larry-merchant-out-once-and-i-told-him-that-he-was-a-phony/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [“My heart almost vaulted out of my chest. I was snuggled against Ryan’s shoulder. 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Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [Anyone who makes the life of Jewish people difficult or grievous, as did the Pharaoh, as did Hitler, will be cursed by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/anyone-who-makes-the-life-of-jewish-people-difficult-or-grievous-as/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“He held his hands tightly together and cursed his daughter for bringing the terrible world, with its humiliation and longing, back to his door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/he-held-his-hands-tightly-together-and-cursed-his-daughter-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [You love what you do, you are cursed with it, and then you get known for being cursed with it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armand-assante/you-love-what-you-do-you-are-cursed-with-it-and-then-you-get-known/) [Armand Assante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armand-assante/) ## More by Steven James > [“Think of a caterpillar entering a cocoon. Once he does so, one of two things will happen: He will either transform into a butterfly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/think-of-a-caterpillar-entering-a-cocoon-once-he-does-so-one-of-two/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [Change is not always a good thing. What I need is not change from one thing to another but transformation from who I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/change-is-not-always-a-good-thing-what-i-need-is-not-change-from-one/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [“Patrick: How do you know so much about dating? You're a teenage girl. Tess: Because I'm a teenage girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/patrick-how-do-you-know-so-much-about-dating-you-re-a-teenage-girl/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [Violence can behave like a disease. 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No.” “Let him be himself without restraint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/do-you-know-how-to-turn-someone-into-a-monster-i-m-not-sure-no-let/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [Here is the paradox of the thing we call freedom: the farther we wander from God and the more we try to break free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/here-is-the-paradox-of-the-thing-we-call-freedom-the-farther-we/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [“Jesus being born as a baby was God's way of laughing at a world trying to grow up too quickly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/jesus-being-born-as-a-baby-was-god-s-way-of-laughing-at-a-world/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [“Part of living is acknowledging people’s pain and grief, but not letting it take over your heart. Though it’s always nighttime in the depths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/part-of-living-is-acknowledging-people-s-pain-and-grief-but-not/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [“Live each moment, each precious moment that you have. Live each one as if it were your last. And your first. Miss”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/live-each-moment-each-precious-moment-that-you-have-live-each-one-as/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [Christianity is wild. It’s intimate. It’s heartbreaking and soul-mending. It’s the wings to rise above the everyday and hope of a honeymoon with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/christianity-is-wild-it-s-intimate-it-s-heartbreaking-and-soul/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [Plastic people flashing fake smiles at a pretend world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/plastic-people-flashing-fake-smiles-at-a-pretend-world/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [“I am a caged bird, rattling the bars of my cage, with furious flutterings, break my chains! Free my spirit! Let me fly with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/i-am-a-caged-bird-rattling-the-bars-of-my-cage-with-furious/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [God dances with the outcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/god-dances-with-the-outcast/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [“Well, I don’t know for sure if it’s still there, but when we lived in Minnesota, we would drive through Janesville to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/well-i-don-t-know-for-sure-if-it-s-still-there-but-when-we-lived-in/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) > [The gifts of the Master are these: freedom, life, hope, new direction, transformation, and intimacy with God. If the cross was the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/the-gifts-of-the-master-are-these-freedom-life-hope-new-direction/) [Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) [Explore all 30 Steven James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/) ## More Cursed quotes > [You love what you do, you are cursed with it, and then you get known for being cursed with it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armand-assante/you-love-what-you-do-you-are-cursed-with-it-and-then-you-get-known/) [Armand Assante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armand-assante/) > [“He held his hands tightly together and cursed his daughter for bringing the terrible world, with its humiliation and longing, back to his door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/he-held-his-hands-tightly-together-and-cursed-his-daughter-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [Anyone who makes the life of Jewish people difficult or grievous, as did the Pharaoh, as did Hitler, will be cursed by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/anyone-who-makes-the-life-of-jewish-people-difficult-or-grievous-as/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [I have always been cursed or blessed with this inability to hide behind anything and to just say exactly what I am experiencing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-kowalczyk/i-have-always-been-cursed-or-blessed-with-this-inability-to-hide/) [Ed Kowalczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-kowalczyk/) > [Too blessed to be stressed. Too blessed to be cursed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-matobo/too-blessed-to-be-stressed-too-blessed-to-be-cursed/) [Frank Matobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-matobo/) > [“My heart almost vaulted out of my chest. I was snuggled against Ryan’s shoulder. We were burrowed under the cloak and sleeping bag, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-dogra/my-heart-almost-vaulted-out-of-my-chest-i-was-snuggled-against-ryan-s/) [Sam Dogra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-dogra/) > [ I cursed \[Larry Merchant\] out once, and I told him that he was a phony. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-cursed-larry-merchant-out-once-and-i-told-him-that-he-was-a-phony/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [A Poem from Edna St. Vincent Millay: Grown-up Was it for this I uttered prayers, And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs, That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/a-poem-from-edna-st-vincent-millay-grown-up-was-it-for-this-i-uttered/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [Funny how all things people don’t understand seem to be ‘cursed’.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnedi-okorafor/funny-how-all-things-people-don-t-understand-seem-to-be-cursed/) [Nnedi Okorafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnedi-okorafor/) > [Sometimes I feel I'm being animated, but it comes off differently. 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There are even cursed blessings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-hall/words-are-as-they-are-taken-and-things-are-as-they-are-used-there-are/) [Joseph Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-hall/) > [Blessed be those happy ages that were strangers to the dreadful fury of these devilish instruments of artillery, whose inventor I am satisfied is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/blessed-be-those-happy-ages-that-were-strangers-to-the-dreadful-fury/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) [Browse all 443 Cursed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cursed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Well, there was a Chinese farmer whose stallion ran away one day across the border to where a group of nomads lived. 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