Lao Tzu Quotes
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Nature does not have to insist.
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The more laws and restrictions there are, The poorer people become. The sharper men's weapons, The more trouble in the land.
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The Tao doesn't take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil. The Master doesn't take sides; she welcomes both saints and sinners. The Tao is like a bellows: it is empty yet infinitely capable. The more you use it, the more it produces; the more you talk of it, the less you understand. Hold on to the center.
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When much virtue is achieved, nothing is not overcome.
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Thorn bushes grow where armies have camped.
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Attending fully and becoming supple, Can you be as a newborn babe?
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When equal armies battle, the grieving one will be victorious.
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Good words shall gain you honor in the marketplace, but good deeds shall gain you friends among men.
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A great country needs more people to serve it. A small country needs more people to serve. So, if both shall get what they need, the great country ought to yield.
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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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The one who rules like the mother lasts long.
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Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream.
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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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If you overesteem great men, people become powerless. If you overvalue possessions, people begin to steal. The Master leads by emptying people's minds and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve. He helps people lose everything they know, everything they desire, and creates confusion in those who think that they know. Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place.
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Health is the greatest possession.
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Deal with difficult tasks while they are easy. Act on large issues while they are small.
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Practice non-action. Work without doing.
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Confidence is the greatest friend.
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The sage never strives for the great, and thereby the great is achieved.
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When one gives whatever one can without restraint, the barriers of individuality break down. It no longer becomes possible to tell whether it is the student offering himself to the teacher, or the teacher offering herself to the student. One sees only two immaculate beings, reflecting one another like a pair of brilliant mirrors.
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The moment truth is asserted, it becomes false.
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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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There is no greater disaster than discontent.
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Without going out-of-doors, one can know all he needs to know. Without even looking out of his window, one can grasp the nature of everything. Without going beyond his own nature, one can achieve ultimate wisdom. Therefore, the intelligent man knows all he needs to know without going away, And sees all he needs to see without looking elsewhere, And does all he needs to do wihout undue exertion.