Lao Tzu Quotes
-
You will understand a great truth when you get to realize that what you do to others, you are doing to yourself.
-
The one who is conscious (in Tao) can't speak. The one who can speak is not conscious (centered in Tao)
-
I alone am different from the others, because I am nourished by the great mother.
-
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.
-
Realize thy Simple Self, Embrace thy Original Nature.
-
Even the longest journey must begin where you stand.
-
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
-
The progress of the Way seems retreating.
-
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.
-
No misfortune is worse than underestimating the enemy. Underestimating the enemy, I risk losing my treasure.
-
All men desire to free themselves solely from death; they do not know how to free themselves from life.
-
Pride attaches undue importance to the superiority of one's status in the eyes of others; and shame is fear of humiliation at one's inferior status in the estimation of others. When one sets one's heart on being highly esteemed, and achieves such rating, then he or she is automatically involved in fear of losing status.
-
No thought, no action, no movement, total stillness: only thus can one manifest the true nature and law of things from within and unconsciously, and at last become one with heaven and earth.
-
There is no illusion great than fear.
-
Those who show off do not shine.
-
Keep behind, and you shall be put in front; keep out, and you shall be kept in.
-
Arms are instruments of ill omen.... When one is compelled to use them, it is best to do so without relish. There is no glory in victory, and to glorify it despite this is to exult in the killing of men.... When great numbers of people are killed, one should weep over them with sorrow. When victorious in war, one should observe mourning rites.
-
For knowledge, add something every day. For wisdom....subtract.
-
Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory. - Diane Arbus By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.
-
The Master acts without doing, and everything gets done.
-
As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow. The top is bent downward; the bottom is bent up. It adjusts excess and deficiency so that there is perfect balance.
-
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.
-
Knowledge of the eternal is all-embracing. To be all-embracing leads to righteousness, which is majestic.
-
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.