Yuan Mei

"I've ever thought it passing odd How all men reverence some God, And wear their lives out for his sake And bow their heads until they ache. 'Tis clear to me the Gods are made Of the same stuff as wind or shade. ... Ah! if they came to every caller, I'd be the very loudest bawler!"

"If I can rejoice for a moment, Death at an early age would still be a long life."

"Yuan Mei was a revolutionary in the world of poetry."