Lao Tzu Quotes
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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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Use justice to rule a country. Use surprise to wage war. Use non-action to govern the world.
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Who can rest until the moment of action?
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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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What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you do not remember this, You will get lost, No matter how intelligent you are. It is the great secret.
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What is and what is not create each other.
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The wise person dines on something more subtle: He eats the understanding that the named was born from the unnamed, that all being flows from non-being, that the describable world emanates from an indescribable source.
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If you have really attained wholeness, everything will flock to you.
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The superior student listens to the Way and follows it closely. The average student listens to the Way and follows some and some not. The lesser student listens to the Way and laughs out loud. If there were no laughter it would not be the Way.
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I alone am different from the others, because I am nourished by the great mother.
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How do I know about the world? By what is within me.
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Meandering leads to perfection.
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Be still. Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.
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Cut out doors and windows for the house. The holes make it useful.
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Without law or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony.
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Freedom from desire leads to inner peace.
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A violent wind does not last for a whole morning.
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Truly, only those who see illness as illness can avoid illness.
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There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born. It is serene. Empty. Solitary. Unchanging. Infinite. Eternally present. It is the mother of the universe. For lack of a better name, I call it the Tao. It flows through all things, inside and outside, and returns to the origin of all things. The Tao is great. The universe is great. Earth is great. Man is great. These are the four great powers. Man follows the earth. Earth follows the universe. The universe follows the Tao. The Tao follows only itself.
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Although there are weapons for tens and hundreds of soldiers, they will not be used.
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When taxes are too high, people go hungry.
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Stay at the center and let all things take their course.
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Abandon fancy theologies and imaginary ideas and do some ordinary daily work... {Engage in this work with} unswerving kindness and unending patience.
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A great country is like the lower outlet of a river. It is the world's meeting ground, the world's female.