Lao Tzu Quotes
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I alone am different from the others, because I am nourished by the great mother.
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When the worst student hears about the Way, he laughs out loud. If he did not laugh, it would be unworthy of being the Way.
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Freedom from desire leads to inner peace.
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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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All things in nature work silently. They come into being and possess nothing. They fulfill their function and make no claim. All things alike do their work, and then we see them subside. When they have reached their bloom, each returns to its origin. . . . This reversion is an eternal law. To know that law is wisdom.
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A violent wind does not last for a whole morning.
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If you have really attained wholeness, everything will flock to you.
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Those who have compassion when they do battle will be victorious. Those who likewise defend themselves will be safe. Heaven will rescue and protect them with compassion.
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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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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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What has not yet emerged is easy to prevent.
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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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A government can be compared to our lungs. Our lungs are best when we don't realize they are helping us breathe. It is when we are constantly aware of our lungs that we know they have come down with an illness.
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The softest in the world surpasses the hardest in the world.
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There is no illusion great than fear.
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When you are one with loss, the loss is experienced willingly.
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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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When everyone in the world sees beauty, then ugly exists.
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Who can rest until the moment of action?
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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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When you extend your goodwill in every direction, regardless of circumstances, you begin to see that we are all one.
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Meandering leads to perfection.
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Truly, only those who see illness as illness can avoid illness.
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No misfortune is worse than underestimating the enemy. Underestimating the enemy, I risk losing my treasure.