Lao Tzu Quotes
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The more we give to others, the more we are increased.
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He who steals a hook shall be hanged; while he who steals the state shall be crowned as prince.
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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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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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Can you comprehend everything in the four directions and still do nothing?
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Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.
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See others as yourself. See families as your family. See towns as your town. See countries as your country. See worlds as your world.
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If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind.
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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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Those who are unswerving have resolve.
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Rule a kingdom as though you were cooking a small fish - don't overdo it.
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New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.
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Obscure, like muddy waters.
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Simply see that you are at the center of the universe, and accept all things and beings as parts of your infinite body. When you perceive that an act done to another is done to yourself, you have understood the great truth.
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The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.
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Clay is fashioned into vessels; it is on their empty hollowness that their use depends. Doors and windows are cut out to make a dwelling, and on the empty space within, its use depends. Thus, while the existence of things may be good, it is the non-existence in them that makes them serviceable.
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He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.
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If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
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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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Dignified, like a guest.
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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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One who lives in accordance with nature does not go against the way of things but moves in harmony with the present moment.
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Profound virtue is indeed deep and wide. It leads all things back to the great order.
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The best soldiers are not warlike; the best fighters do not lose their temper. The greatest conquerors are those who overcome their enemies without strife. The greatest directors of men are those who yield place to others. This is called the Virtue of not striving, the capacity for directing mankind; this is being the compeer of Heaven. It was the highest goal of the ancients.