Lao Tzu Quotes
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Truly, only acting without thought of one's life is superior to valuing one's life.
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Can you be still and look inside?If so, then you know the truth is always available, and always responsive.
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Where there is no conflict, there is no fault.
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The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens.
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I am at peace, and people become fair by themselves.
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He does not praise himself - yet he is respectable.
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All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power.
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The longer you travel, the less you know.
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Dualistic thinking is a sickness.
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Let the country be small, and the inhabitants few.
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Not knowing of the eternal leads to unfortunate errors.
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By not claiming to be first in the world one can rule.
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A good person is the bad person's teacher. A bad person is the good person's task.
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Do not attempt to conquer the world with force, for force only causes resistance.
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Without going outside, you may know the whole world, without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven. The farther you go, the less you know. Thus the sage knows without traveling; he sees without looking; he works without doing.
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Keep your mouth shut, and close up the doors of sight and sound, and as long as you live you will have no vexation. But open your mouth, or become inquisitive, and you will be in trouble all your life long.
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The value comes from what is there, but the use comes from what is not there.
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Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time' is to say 'I don't want to.'
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In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In ruling, be just. In daily life, be competent. In action, be aware of the time and the season.
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What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.
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People who have to fight for their living and are not afraid to die for it are higher persons than those who, stationed high, are too fat to dare to die.
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Words have divided man from woman, one from another, this from that, until only sages know how to put things together. Without words, without even understanding, lovers find each other. The moment of finding is always a surprise, like meeting an old friend never before known.
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He who stands on tiptoe doesn't stand firm. He who rushes ahead doesn't go far. He who tries to shine dims his own light. He who defines himself can't know who he really is. He who has power over others can't empower himself. He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures.
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He who hoards much loses much.