Lao Tzu Quotes
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Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere. Those who are skilled (in the Tao) do not dispute (about it); the disputatious are not skilled in it. Those who know (the Tao) are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.
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The subtlest of subtleties, this is the gateway to all mysteries.
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Conquering others requires force. Conquering oneself requires strength.
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The highest virtue is not virtuous. Therefore it has virtue. The lowest virtue holds on to virtue. Therefore it has no virtue.
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Heavy is the root of light.
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Those who are self-righteous are not prominent.
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Yielding is the way of the Tao.
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The best form of leadership is to be conscious of the leadership potential with the followers and to let them unleash this potential in a spontaneous way. When a great leader accomplishes this task with effortless ease, the followers say, "We did it ourselves."
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The scholar gains every day; the man of Tao loses every day.
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Is not the action of nature like the stretching of a bow? The high, it pulls down; the low, it lifts up; It takes from what is in excess In order to make good of what is deficient. Who can take what they have in excess and offer it to others?
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They can see their neighbors. Roosters and dogs can be heard from there. Still, they will age and die without visiting one another.
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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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When the uncarved wood is split, its parts are put to use. When the sage is put to use, he becomes the head.
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If you want to become full, let yourself be empty.
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When you accurately perceive the fluidity of things, you can also begin to perceive the constancy behind them: the creative, transformative, boundless, immutable Tao.
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Failure is an opportunity. If you blame someone else, there is no end to the blame. Therefore the Master fulfills her own obligations and corrects her own mistakes. She does what she needs to do and demands nothing of others.
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In the end, The treasure of life is missed by those who hold on and gained by those who let go.
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A good person is the bad person's teacher. A bad person is the good person's task.
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Perfect kindness acts without thinking of kindness.
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Heaven's Way gives no favors. It always remains with good people.
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If you wish to become a divine immortal angel, then restore the angelic qualities of your being through virtue and service. This is the only way to gain the attention of the immortals... These angelic teachers cannot be sought out; it is they who seek out the student. When you succeed in connecting your energy with the divine realm through high awareness and the practice of undiscriminating virtue, the transmission of the ultimate subtle truths will follow.
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The Tao's principle is spontaneity.
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When pure sincerity forms within, it is outwardly realized in other people's hearts.
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Clay is used to make vases, but it is the emptiness they contain that makes them useful.