Lao Tzu Quotes
-
He who stands on tiptoe doesn't stand firm. He who rushes ahead doesn't go far. He who tries to shine dims his own light. He who defines himself can't know who he really is. He who has power over others can't empower himself. He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures.
-
Can you gather your vital breath and yet be tender like a newborn baby?
-
The truly great ones rely on substance, and not on surface, hold on to the fruit, and not to the flower.
-
He who gains a victory over other men is strong; but he who gains a victory over himself is all powerful.
-
The highest benevolence acts without purpose.
-
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 hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.
-
The noble must make humility his root.
-
Nature's way is simple and easy, but men prefer the intricate and artificial.
-
The Master gives himself up to whatever the moment brings. He knows that he is going to die, and her has nothing left to hold on to: no illusions in his mind, no resistances in his body. He doesn't think about his actions; they flow from the core of his being. He holds nothing back from life; therefore he is ready for death, as a man is ready for sleep after a good day's work.
-
(The Tao) is always present and always available. . . . If you are willing to be lived by it, you will see it everywhere, even in the most ordinary things.
-
A good speaker does not stutter.
-
A sage is skilled at helping people without excluding anyone.
-
The Master doesn't seek fulfillment. For only those who are not full are able to be used which brings the feeling of completeness.
-
We desire to understand the world by giving names to the things we see, but these things are only the effects of something subtle.
-
If you scramble about in search of inner peace, you will lose your inner peace.
-
He who overcomes others has force; he who overcomes himself is strong.
-
The one who is filled by virtue is like a newborn baby.
-
I do not interfere, and people become rich by themselves.
-
Racing and hunting excite man's heart to madness.
-
If you have really attained wholeness, everything will flock to you.
-
Yielding, like ice about to melt.
-
Cut out doors and windows for the house. The holes make it useful.
-
. . . the integral being is attached to nothing and can relate to everyone with an unstructured attitude. Because of this, her very existence benefits all things.
-
I alone have the mind of a fool, and am all muddled and vague. The people are so smart and bright. While I am just dull and confused.