Lao Tzu Quotes
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He who treasures his body as much as the world can care for the world.
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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.
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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.
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By following this simple path, you become extraordinary, unfathomable, a being of profound cosmic subtlety. You outlive time and space by realizing the subtle truth of the universe.
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The Tao is told is not the Tao.
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People aren't against you; they are for themselves. The most dangerous risk of all - the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later. He who conquers others is strong, he who conquers himself is mighty.
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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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He does not seek glory - yet people respect him.
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Water does not force its way.
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For one gains by losing And loses by gaining.
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There is no greater mistake than to make light of an enemy By making light of an enemy many a kingdom has been lost.
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Every step is on the path.
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Take time to listen to what is said without words, to obey the law too subtle to be written, to worship the unnameable and to embrace the unformed.
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Creating without claiming, Doing without taking credit, Guiding without interfering, This is Primal Virtue.
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Loving, hating, having expectations: all these are attachments. Attachment prevents the growth of one's true being.
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Praise leads to weakness. Getting it causes fear, losing it causes fear.
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Justice has long arm.
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Not knowing of the eternal leads to unfortunate errors.
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Practice not-doing and everything will fall into place.
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The cords of passion and desire weave a binding net around you. Worldly confrontation makes you stiff and inflexible. The trap of duality is tenacious. Bound, rigid, and trapped, you cannot experience liberation.
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Fine words are traded. Noble deeds gain respect. But people who are not good, why abandon them?
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Only by working within the laws that govern the flow of water will happiness be achieved.
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High and low rest on each other.
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Distortion upon distortion: . . . the more one uses the mind, the more confused one becomes.