Lao Tzu Quotes
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The sturdiest virtue seems fragile.
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Because every portion of the body, mind, and spirit yearns for the integration of yin and yang, angelic intercourse is led by the spirit rather than the sexual organs. . . . Where ordinary intercourse unites sex organs with sex organs, angelic cultivation unites spirit with spirit, mind with mind, and every cell of one body with every cell of the other body.
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It is the child that sees the primordial secret in Nature and it is the child of ourselves we return to. The child within us is simple and daring enough to live the Secret.
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Seeing the small is called clarity.
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The more weapons of violence, the more misery to mankind. The triumph of violence ends in a festival of mourning.
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What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out.
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The supreme rulers are hardly known by their subjects. The lesser are loved and praised. The even lesser are feared. The least are despised.
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To delight in conquest is to delight in slaughter.
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In this world, there is nothing softer or thinner than water. But to compel the hard and unyielding, it has no equal. That the weak overcomes the strong, that the hard gives way to the gentle - this everyone knows. Yet no one asks accordingly.
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The man of knowledge acquires something new everyday, and the man of Tao lets go of something new every day.
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Not valuing wealth prevents theft.
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The sage is sharp but does not cut, pointed but does not pierce, forthright but does not offend, bright but does not dazzle.
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Silence is a source of great strenght.
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A tree trunk the size of a man grows from a blade as thin as a hair. A tower nine stories high is built from a small heap of earth.
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The people starve because those above them eat too much tax-grain. That is the only reason why they starve.
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All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power. 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. The Master is above the people, and no one feels oppressed. She goes ahead of the people, and no one feels manipulated. The whole world is grateful to her. Because she competes with no one, no one can compete with her.
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He who controls the past controls the future.
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The most eloquent seems to stutter.
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Therefore the Sage, wishing to be above the people, must by his words put himself below them; wishing to be before the people, he must put himself behind them. In this way, though he has his place above them, the people do not feel his weight; though he has his place before them, they do not feel it as an injury. Therefore all mankind delight to exalt him, and weary of him not.
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Carrying body and soul and embracing the one, Can you avoid separation?
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Be merciful, moderate, and modest.
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Some have lavish garments, carry sharp swords, and feast on food and drink. They possess more than they can spend. This is called the vanity of robbers. It is certainly not the Way.
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Abandon cleverness, discard profit, and thieves and robbers will disappear.
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Other people are occupied, I alone am unwilling, like the outcast.