Lao Tzu Quotes
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When wisdom and knowledge appear, great pretense arises.
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The master understands that the universe is forever out of control.
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Peace is our natural state of being.
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One's own self or material goods, which has more worth? Loss (of self) or possession (of goods), which is the greater evil? He who loves most, spends most, He who hoards much loses much.
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The Tao gives birth to One. One gives birth to yin and yang. Yin and yang give birth to all things... The complete whole is the complete whole. So also is any part the complete whole... But forget about understanding and harmonizing and making all things one. The universe is already a harmonious oneness; just realize it.
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Its name-what passes not away.
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I alone am different from the others, because I am nourished by the great mother.
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You cannot know the body by studying the finger, and you cannot understand the universe by learning one science.
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The sage embraces the one, and is an example to the world.
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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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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.
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A tree as wide as a man's embrace grows from a tiny shoot.
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How do I become still? By flowing with the stream.
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Racing through the field and hunting make the mind wild.
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Don't think you can attain total awareness and whole enlightenment without proper discipline and practice. This is egomania. Appropriate rituals channel your emotions and life energy toward the light. Without the discipline to practice them, you will tumble constantly backward into darkness.
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I let go of all desire for the common good, and the good becomes as common as the grass.
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A sage is skilled at helping people without excluding anyone.
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Do you think that you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear. Integral awareness is fluid and adaptable, present in all places and at all times. That is true meditation. ... The Tao is clear and simple, and it doesn't avoid the world.
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There is no greater offence than harbouring desires. There is no greater disaster than discontent. There is no greater misfortune than wanting more.
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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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The sage regards things as difficult, and thereby avoids difficulty.
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Stay at the center and let all things take their course.
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No misfortune is worse than underestimating the enemy. Underestimating the enemy, I risk losing my treasure.
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The one who rules like the mother lasts long.