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Lao Tzu quotes

English (45)

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“Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The...” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“A great nation is like a great man: When he makes a mistake, he realizes it. Having realized it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it. He considers those who point out his faults as his most benevolent teachers. He thinks of his enemy...” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“When there is no desire, all things are at peace.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Stop thinking, and end your problems.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Those who know do not speak; Those who speak do not know.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Failure is an opportunity.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“There is no greater misfortune than underestimating your enemy.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job?” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them. If you want to lead the people, you must learn how to follow them.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Because he believes in himself, he doesn't try to convince others. Because he is content with himself, he doesn't need others' approval. Because he accepts himself, the whole world accepts him.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“the further one travels the less one knows.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice. Yet your intellect will never grasp them, and if you try to practice them, you'll fail. My teachings are older than the world. How can you grasp their meaning? If you want to know...” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be. The more weapons you have, the less secure people will be.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“True words aren't eloquent; eloquent words aren't true. Wise men don't need to prove their point; men who need to prove their point aren't wise.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move. We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want. We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it...” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Do you want to improve the world? I don't think it can be done. The world is sacred. It can't be improved. If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it. If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“the Master takes action by letting things take their course. He remains as calm at the end as at the beginning. He has nothing, thus has nothing to lose.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“When nothing is done, nothing is left undone. True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“He who acts, harms; he who grabs, lets slip.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“He who tries to shine dims his own light.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“He who rushes ahead doesn't go far.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Success is as dangerous as failure.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“The Master has no possessions. The more he does for others, the happier he is. The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“For governing a country well there is nothing better than moderation.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Trying to control the future is like trying to take the master carpenter's place. When you handle the master carpenter's tools, chances are that you'll cut your hand.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Close your mouth, block off your senses, blunt your sharpness, untie your knots, soften your glare, settle your dust. This is the primal identity.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“If a country is governed with repression, the people are depressed and crafty.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“His enemies are not demons, but human beings like himself.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“The Master leads by emptying people's minds and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“How could he rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of men?” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Governing a large country is like frying a small fish.” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

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enemy action compassion self wisdom knowledge teaching joy patience learning simplicity government contentment failure leadership travel hardness possession comparison flexibility

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Tao Te Ching (45)