The sage Chuang-Tzu was walking with a disciple on a hilltop. They see a crooked, ancient tree without a single straight branch. The disciple says the tree is useless, nothing from it can be used and Chuang-Tzu replies, “That’s the reason it’s ancient. Everyone seem to know how useful it is to be useful. No one seems to know how useful it is to be useless”

Joseph Goldstein, The Practice of Loving Kindness for all