Lao Tzu Quotes
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He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.
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Clay is moulded to make a vessel, but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing. . . . Thus, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not.
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Excellent conquerors do not engage.
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Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
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Man's enemies are not demons, but human beings like himself.
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I am wearied, as if I lacked a home to go to.
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The world's big things only can be done by paying attention to their humble beginnings.
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Rituals are the end of fidelity and honesty, and the beginning of confusion.
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How could man rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of men?
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For the wise man looks into space and he knows there is no limited dimensions.
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When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'
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In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were rulers. In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them.
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Why are the people starving?- Because their grain is being eaten up by the taxes That's why they're starving Why are people rebellious?- Because those above them meddle in their lives That's why they're rebellious Why do people regard death so lightly?- Because they are so involved with their own living That's why they regard death so lightly In the end, The treasure of life is missed by those who hold on and gained by those who let go.
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Good walking leaves no track behind it.
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So the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants.
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Be the chief but never the lord.
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The usefulness of a pot comes from its emptiness.
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Cultivate virtue in the world, and it will be universal.
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He who talks more is sooner exhausted.
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Observe how endings become beginnings.
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If the Great Way perishes there will morality and duty. When cleverness and knowledge arise great lies will flourish. When relatives fall out with one another there will be filial duty and love. When states are in confusion there will be faithful servants.
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The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.
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The sage does not act and therefore does not fail, does not seize and therefore does not lose.
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When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other. Difficult and easy support each other. Long and short define each other. High and low depend on each other. Before and after follow each other. Therefore the Master acts without doing anything and teaches without saying anything. Things arise and she lets them come; things disappear and she lets them go. She has but doesn't possess, acts but doesn't expect. When her work is done, she forgets it. That is why it lasts forever.