Lao Tzu Quotes
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I observe myself and I come to know others.
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To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; Not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.
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Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it.
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The Way to Heaven has no favorites. It is always with the good man.
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I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any.
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Governing a large country is like frying a small fish. You spoil it with too much poking. Center your country in the Tao and evil will have no power. Not that it isn't there, but you'll be able to step out of its way. Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.
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Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.
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If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
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Keeping plenty of gold and jade in the palace makes no one able to defend it.
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Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.
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If you go searching for the Great Creator, you will come back empty-handed. The source of the universe is ultimately unknowable, a great invisible river flowing forever through a vast and fertile valley. Silent and uncreated, it creates all things.
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We put thirty spokes to make a wheel: But it is on the hole in the center that the use of the cart hinges. We make a vessel from a lump of clay; But it is the empty space within the vessel that makes it useful. We make doors and windows for a room; But it is the empty spaces that make the room livable. Thus, while existence has advantages, It is the emptiness that makes it useful.
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Those who are unswerving have resolve.
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The highest virtue seems as low as a valley.
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The more we give to others, the more we are increased.
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Life is going forth; death is returning home.
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People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.
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Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good.
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Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.
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The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; the Named is the mother of all things.
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Obscure, like muddy waters.
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A violent wind does not outlast the morning; a squall of rain does not outlast the day. Such is the course of Nature. And if Nature herself cannot sustain her efforts long, how much less can man!
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Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
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Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.