Lao Tzu Quotes
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Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment; Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self needs strength.
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If you want to know me, look inside your heart.
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Everything will settle in its own place automatically.
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Excellent leaders of people lower themselves.
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A climb of eight hundred feet starts where the foot stands.
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Why do the people think so little of death? Because the rulers demand too much of life. Therefore the people take death lightly.
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I have the mind of a fool, understanding nothing.
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Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death. The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.
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There are three layers to the universe. In the lower, Tai Ching, and the middle, Shan Ching, the hindrance of a physical bodily existence is required. Those who fail to live consistently in accord with the Tao reside here. In the upper, Yu Ching, there is only Tao: the bondage of form is broken, and the only thing existing is the exquisite energy dance of the immortal divine beings.
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To manage your mind, know that there is nothing, and then relinquish all attachment to nothingness.
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Therefore the Sage embraces Unity, and is a model for all under Heaven. He is free from self-display, therefore he shines forth; from self-assertion, therefore he is distinguished; from self-glorification, therefore he has merit; from self-exaltation, therefore he rises superior to all. Inasmuch as he does not strive, there is no one in the world who can strive with him.
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When wisdom and knowledge appear, great pretense arises.
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The eye with which you see God is the same eye with which God sees you; one in seeing; one in knowing; one in loving.
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He who overcomes others has force; he who overcomes himself is strong.
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Not all spiritual paths lead to the harmonious Oneness. Indeed, most are detours and distractions, nothing more.
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He who gains a victory over other men is strong; but he who gains a victory over himself is all powerful.
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You cannot receive what you don't give. Outflow determines inflow.
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The way to use life is to do nothing through acting, The way to use life is to do everything through being.
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If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart.
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My own words are not the medicine, but a prescription; not the destination, but a map to help you reach it. When you get there, quiet your mind and close your mouth. Don't analyze the Tao. Strive instead to live it: silently, undividedly, with your whole harmonious being.
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To joy in conquest is to joy in the loss of human life.
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The leader's main job is to make themselves obsolete.
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Hold on to the great image, and the whole world follows, follows unharmed, content and completely at peace.
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The Way is eternal. Until your last day, you are free from peril.