Lao Tzu Quotes
-
Those who have the courage to dare will perish. Those who have the courage not to dare will live.
-
The leader is best, When people are hardly aware of his existence, Not so good when people praise his government, Less good when people stand in fear, Worst, when people are contemptuous. Fail to honor people, and they will fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who speaks little, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, The people say, 'We did it ourselves.'
-
Being a model to the world, eternal virtue will never falter in you, and you return to the boundless.
-
The great Way is easy, yet people prefer the side paths. Be aware when things are out of balance. Stay centered within the Tao. When rich speculators prosper While farmers lose their land; when government officials spend money on weapons instead of cures; when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible while the poor have nowhere to turn- all this is robbery and chaos. It is not in keeping with the Tao.
-
Knowledge studies others, wisdom is self known.
-
As long as we have hope, we have direction, the energy to move, and the map to move by. We have a hundred alternatives, a thousand paths and an infinity of dreams. Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go; hopeless, we are lost forever.
-
All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power.
-
Things are not worth attending to, yet they have to be attended to.
-
We go from birth to death. Three out of ten follow life. Three out of ten follow death. People who rush from birth to death are also three out of ten. Why is that so? Because they want to make too much of life.
-
The good man is the teacher of the bad, And the bad is the material from which the good may learn. He who does not value the teacher, Or greatly care for the material, Is greatly deluded although he may be learned. Such is the essential mystery.
-
The great Way is very straight, but people prefer to deviate.
-
High and low rest on each other.
-
When bitter enemies make peace, surely some bitterness remains.
-
Embrace simplicity. Put others first. Desire little.
-
Justice has long arm.
-
Instead of being afraid of death, we should try to awake to life; and the only death we should escape from is to forget the presence of God into us.
-
Be content with an ordinary life.
-
Hold on to the center and make up your mind to rejoice in this paradise called life.
-
The difficult problems in life always start off being simple. Great affairs always start off being small.
-
. . . Intelligence is not the same thing as wisdom.
-
Peacefulness is an inner sense of calm - it comes from becoming still - in order to reflect and meditate on our inner wisdom and receive answers. A peaceful heart is one that is free from worry and rouble. It's becoming quiet so we can look at things quietly so we can more clearly understand them and thus come up with creative solutions. It is learning to live in the present. Freedom from desire leads to inner peace.
-
Face the simple fact before it comes involved. Solve the small problem before it becomes big.
-
Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice. Therefore the Master remains serene in the midst of sorrow. Evil cannot enter his heart. Because he has given up helping, he is people's greatest help. True words seem paradoxical.
-
When you stand with your two feet on the ground, you will always keep your balance.