Lao Tzu Quotes
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There is no greater fault than sensual indulgence. There is no greater misfortune than malcontent. There is no greater calamity than greed.
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If you fail to honor your people, They will fail to honor you; It is said of a good leader that When the work is done, the aim fulfilled, The people will say, "We did this ourselves."
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Know honor, Yet keep humility. Be the valley of the universe! Being the valley of the universe, Ever true and resourceful, Return to the state of the uncarved block.
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He who prides himself upon wealth and honor hastens his own downfall.
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Let muddy water stand and it will become clear.
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A climb of eight hundred feet starts where the foot stands.
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Why is the sea king of a hundred streams? Because it lies below them... If the sage would guide the people, he must serve with humility. If he would lead them, he must follow behind. In this way when the sage rules, the people will not feel oppressed.
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A tree that is unbending, is easily broken.
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If you correct your mind the rest of your life will fall into place.
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True power is stillness within motion.
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Thus it is that "Some things are increased by being diminished, others are diminished by being increased." What others have taught, I also teach; verily, I will make it the root of my teaching.
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Those who praise victory relish manslaughter. Those who relish manslaughter cannot reach their goals in the world.
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Leadership is your ability to hide your panic from others.
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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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Battles are followed by years of famine.
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The one who is filled by virtue is like a newborn baby.
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Because he (the Sage) opposes no one, no one in the world can oppose him.
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The more laws and orders are multiplied, the more theft and violence increase.
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Goodness strives not, and therefore it is not rebuked.
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Loss is not as bad as wanting more.
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What is well rooted cannot be pulled up. What is firmly grasped will not slip loose. It will be honoured from generation to generation.
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Nature's way is simple and easy, but men prefer the intricate and artificial.
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The virtuous carry out the settlement, but those without virtue pursue their claims.
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The sage wears coarse clothes, concealing jade.