Ouyang, Xiu <Six-First Discussion on Calligraphy>

Su，Zimei once said: "A bright window, a clean desk, and excellent pens, inkstones, paper, and ink are all the joy of life. However, those who can enjoy this joy are very rare, and those who are not distracted by external things are even rarer. I learned this joy late, and I regret that my handwriting is not good enough and cannot reach the level of the ancients. If I take it as a joy, then it is more than enough. "Test Writing: Learning Calligraphy for Joy"

歐陽修《六一論書》

蘇子美嘗言：明窗凈幾，筆硯紙墨皆極精良，亦自是人生一樂。然能得此樂者甚稀，其不為外物移其好者，又特稀也。余晚知此趣，恨字體不工，不能到古人佳處，若以為樂，則自是有餘。 《試筆·學書為樂》

Marcus Tullius Cicero:

Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, deerit nihil.

If you have a garden and library, you have everything you need.

園圃在懷，書藏在室，斯足矣。

Zhang, Yanyuan <Famous Paintings of All Ages>

Zhang, Zao said: “Take nature as your teacher on the outside; grasp the source of the mind within.” Or, “Learn from nature externally; find the wellspring of the heart within.”

It means that in painting (or any art), the artist should study and learn from the forms and transformations of nature (“造化”) while also expressing their own inner spirit and ideas (“心源”).

张彦远《历代名画记》

张璪：“外师造化，中得心源。”