Lao Tzu Quotes: Lao Zi (Lao Tzu). In some sources, his name is also referred to as Lao Tsu, Lao Tse, Laotze or Laozi. Lao means ‘old’ and Zi means ‘teacher’, ‘wise’ in Chinese. The author of the Tao Te Ching book is the wise Laozi. He is an important Chinese philosopher who is considered the founder of Taoism.
Lao Tzu Quotes
Here we have an app about Lao Tzu, Tao, Taoism quotes about leadership, love, life and wisdom
‘”To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders.”‘
‘”Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.”‘
‘”Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.”‘
‘”He who talks more is sooner exhausted.”‘
‘”Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”‘
‘”Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”‘
‘”The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”‘
‘”The way of heaven is to help and not harm.”‘
‘”If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”‘
‘”Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.”‘
‘”The best fighter is never angry.”‘
‘”When you accept yourself, the whole world accepts you.”‘
‘”From wonder into wonder existence opens.”‘
‘”Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”‘
‘”When there is no desire, all things are at peace.”‘
‘”An over sharpened sword cannot last long.”‘
‘”If you are depressed you are living in the past.”‘
‘”Because of a great love, one is courageous.”‘
‘”Stop thinking, and end your problems.”‘
‘”There is a time to live and a time to die but never to reject the moment.”‘
‘”A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”‘
‘”Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.”‘
‘”Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained.”‘
‘”Be still. Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.”‘
‘”To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go.”‘
‘”To understand the limitation of things, desire them.”‘
‘”At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”‘
‘”Be like water.”‘
‘”Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love”‘
‘”Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”‘
‘”The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.”‘,
‘”When goodness is lost there is morality.”‘
‘”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.”‘
‘”The further one goes, the less one knows.”‘
‘”Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires.”‘
‘”Take care with the end as you do with the beginning.”‘
‘”When men lost their understanding of the Tao, intelligence came along, bringing hypocrisy with it.”‘
‘”Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”‘
‘”The Tao is nowhere to be found. Yet it nourishes and completes all things.”‘
‘”When the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready… The teacher will disappear.”‘
‘”Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like”‘
‘”Love is of all the passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart, and the senses.”‘
‘”Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”‘
‘”A bad man is a good man’s job.”‘
‘”If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.”‘
‘”One who is too insistent on his own views finds few to agree with him.”‘
‘”To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”‘
‘”A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.”‘
‘”If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind.”‘
‘”A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.”‘
‘”He who acts, spoils; he who grasps, lets slip.”‘
‘”As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.”‘
‘”Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force”‘
‘”Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.”‘
‘”Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.”‘
‘”There is no disaster greater than not being content; there is no misfortune greater than being covetous.”‘
‘”If you want to lead them you must place yourself behind them.”‘
‘”A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day”‘
‘”He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.”‘
‘”If you do not value rare treasures, you will stop others from stealing.”‘
‘”Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see. Stop running away and you will be found.”‘
‘”Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.”‘
‘”If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.”‘
‘”When you are at one with loss, the loss is experienced willingly.”‘
‘”The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be.”‘
‘”Our enemies are not demons, but human beings like ourselves.”‘
‘”If the people must be ever fearful of death, then there will always be an executioner.”‘
‘”Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.”‘
‘”The master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. He prefers what is within to what is without.”‘
‘”If lightning is the anger of the gods, then the gods are concerned mostly about trees.”‘
‘”Do not conquer the world with force, for force only causes resistance. Thorns spring up when an army passes. Years of misery follow a great victory. Do only what needs to be done without using violence.”‘
‘”Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here.”‘
‘”Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.”‘
‘”Go to the people. Live with them, learn from them, love them.”‘
‘”The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.”‘
‘”Love is a decision – not an emotion!”‘
‘”The Wise Man is square but not sharp, honest but not not malign, straight but not severe, bright but not dazzling.”‘
‘”Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish without show, accomplish without arrogance, accomplish without grabbing, accomplish without forcing.”‘
‘”In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.”‘
‘”If a person seems wicked, do not cast him away. Awaken him with your words, elevate him with your deeds, repay his injury with your kindness. Do not cast him away; cast away his wickedness.”‘
‘”Just remain in the center; watching. And then forget that you are there.”‘
‘”Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”‘
‘”He who defends with love will be secure; Heaven will save him, and protect him with love.”‘
‘”Trying to control the future is like trying to take the master carpenter’s place. When you handle the master carpenter’s tools, chances are that you’ll cut your hand.”‘
‘”I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any.”‘
‘”Respond to anger with virtue. Deal with difficulties while they are still easy. Handle the great while it is still small.”‘
‘”Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. When we don’t see the self as self, what do we have to fear?”‘
‘”People in their handlings of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure.”‘
‘”Silence is a source of great strength”‘
‘”Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish – too much handling will spoil it.”‘
‘”I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”‘
‘”When wealth and honors lead to arrogancy, this brings its evil on itself.”‘
‘”Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”‘
‘”When pure sincerity forms within, it is outwardly realized in other people’s hearts.”‘
‘”Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.”‘
‘”Chanting is no more holy than listening to the murmur of a stream, counting prayer beads no more scared than simply breathing, religious robes no more spiritual than work clothes.”‘
‘”Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his alonenes, realizing he is one with the whole universe.”‘
‘”Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things.”‘
‘”The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms.”‘
‘”Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness.”‘
‘”To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.”‘
‘”The sage knows without traveling, perceives without looking, completes without acting.”‘
‘”Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.”‘
‘”To be brave without compassion, generous without moderation, and rule without refraining from being first in the world, are certain deaths.”‘
‘”To bear and not to own; to act and not lay claim; to do the work and let it go: for just letting it go is what makes it stay.”‘
‘”Life is going forth; death is returning home.”‘
‘”There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.”‘
‘”When everyone in the world sees beauty, then ugly exists.”‘
‘”Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.”‘
‘”The sage does not attempt anything very big, and thus achieves greatness”‘
‘”With few there is attainment. With much there is confusion.”‘
‘”Stretch the bow to the very full, and you will wish you had stopped in time.”‘
‘”Composure is the ruler of instability.”‘
‘”All things of the world are born of being; being is born of nonbeing.”‘
‘”If I had just a little bit of wisdom I should walk the great path and fear only straying from it.”‘
‘”He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of will power. He who stays where he is endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.”‘
‘”There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war.”‘
‘”Is it not through her selflessness that she is able to perfect herself?”‘
‘”The past has no power to stop you from being present now. Only your grievance about the past can do that. What is grievance? The baggage of old thought and emotion.”
‘”Use the light that is in you to recover your natural clearness of sight”‘
‘”There is no illusion great than fear.”‘
‘”Sometimes gain comes from losing, and sometimes loss comes from gaining.”‘
‘”If you correct your mind the rest of your life will fall into place.”‘
‘”Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.”‘
‘”Let your workings remain a mystery. Just show people the results.”‘
‘”When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”‘
‘”The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”‘
‘”Ambition has one heel nailed in well, though she stretches her fingers to touch the heavens.”‘
‘”Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”‘
‘”It is better to do one’s own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins.”‘
‘”New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.”‘
‘”If you are untrustworthy, people will not trust you.”‘
‘”One who believes in himself has no need to convince others.”‘
‘”The difficult problems in life always start off being simple. Great affairs always start off being small.”‘
‘”Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”‘
‘”When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty, there arises the recognition of ugliness. When they all know the good as good, there arises the recognition of evil.”‘
‘”When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.”‘
‘”The master understands that the universe is forever out of control”‘
‘”Covetousness is the greatest misfortune. One who does not know what is enough will never have enough.”‘
‘”Filling life exceedingly is called ominous.”‘
‘”If there is to be peace in the home, There must be peace in the heart.”‘
‘”In order to contract, It is necessary first to expand. In order to weaken, It is necessary first to strengthen. In order to destroy, It is first necessary to promote. In order to grasp, It is necessary first to give. This is called subtle light. The weak and the tender overcome the hard and the strong.”‘
‘”If people are not afraid of dying, why threaten them with death?”‘
‘”Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.”‘
‘”The difficult problems in life always start off being simple. Great affairs always start off being small.”‘
‘”With virtue and quietness one may conquer the world.”‘
‘”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.”‘
‘”Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.”‘
‘”Pain and happiness are simply conditions of the ego. Forget the ego.”‘
‘”If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”‘
‘”In the Way of Heaven, there is no partiality of love; it is always on the side of the good man.”‘
‘”The sage is not ill, because he sees illness as illness.”‘
‘”A great nation is like a great man:When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.Having realized it, he admits it.Having admitted it, he corrects it.He considers those who point out his faultsas his most benevolent teachers.He thinks of his enemyas the shadow that he himself casts.”‘
‘”Those who act will fail. Those who seize will lose.”‘
‘”There is no greater offence than harbouring desires. There is no greater disaster than discontent. There is no greater misfortune than wanting more.”‘
‘”All things carry yin and embrace yang. They reach harmony by blending with the vital breath.”‘
‘”The Tao is unpredictable to those that live according to plans. Only those who have no agenda are in harmony with the Tao.”‘
‘”Your name or your body, what is dearer? Your body or your wealth, what is worthier?”‘
‘”To realize that our knowledge is ignorance, This is a noble insight. To regard our ignorance as knowledge, This is mental sickness. Only when we are sick of the sickness Shall we cease to be sick. The Sage is not sick, being sick of sickness; This is the secret of health.”‘
‘”Do nondoing, strive for non-stiving, savor the flavourless, make much of little, repay enmity with virture; plan for difficulty when it is still easy, do the great while it is still small.”‘
‘”Without opening your door, you can open your heart to the world. Without looking out your window, you can see the essence of the Tao. The more you know, the less you understand. The Master arrives without leaving, sees the light without looking, achieves without doing a thing.”‘
‘”To understand the limitation of things, desire them.”‘
‘”We desire to understand the world by giving names to the things we see, but these things are only the effects of something subtle.”‘
‘”Solve it before it happens. Order it before chaos emerges.”‘
‘”Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good.”‘
‘”The inner is the foundation of the outer. The still is master of the restless. The Sage travels all day yet never leaves his inner treasure.”‘
‘”That which offers no resistance can enter where there is no space.”‘
‘”Hold on to the center and make up your mind to rejoice in this paradise called life.”‘
‘”A foolish man is always doing, Yet much remains to be done.”‘
‘”Be still like a mountain and flow like a great river.”‘
‘”To delight in conquest is to delight in slaughter.”‘
‘”Why separate your spiritual life and your practical life? To an integral being, there is no such distinction.”‘
‘”The seed of mystery lies in muddy water. How can I perceive this mystery? Water becomes clear through stillness. How can I become still? By flowing with the stream.”‘
‘”Not all spiritual paths lead to the harmonious Oneness. Indeed, most are detours and distractions, nothing more.”‘
‘”There is no greater disaster than discontent.”‘
‘”Without law or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony.”‘
‘”Nurture the spontaneous peaceful life.”‘
‘”When you stand with your two feet on the ground, you will always keep your balance.”‘
‘”Never take over the world to tamper with it. Those who want to tamper with it are not fit to take over the world.”‘
‘”The wise are not learned, the learned are not wise.”‘
‘”Only fools seek power, and the greatest fools seek it through force.”‘
‘”The one who can dissolve her mind will suddenly discover the Tao at her feet.”‘
‘”There is no greater sin than desire, No greater curse than discontent, No greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself. Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”‘
‘”If you have really attained wholeness, everything will flock to you.”‘
‘”Follow diligently the Way in your own heart, but make no display of it to the world.”‘
‘”The moment truth is asserted, it becomes false.”‘
‘”The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”‘
‘”Whatever one cultivates, is what one becomes.”‘
‘”Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”‘
‘”Things exalted then decay. This is going against the Way. What goes against the Way meets an early end.”‘
‘”Why is the sea king of a hundred streams? Because it lies below them… If the sage would guide the people, he must serve with humility. If he would lead them, he must follow behind. In this way when the sage rules, the people will not feel oppressed.”‘
‘”I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.”‘
‘”There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born. It is serene. Empty. Solitary. Unchanging. Infinite. Eternally present. It is the mother of the universe. For lack of a better name, I call it the Tao. It flows through all things, inside and outside, and returns to the origin of all things. The Tao is great. The universe is great. Earth is great. Man is great. These are the four great powers. Man follows the earth. Earth follows the universe. The universe follows the Tao. The Tao follows only itself.”‘
‘”From wonder into wonder existence opens.”‘
‘”Knowledge of the eternal is all-embracing. To be all-embracing leads to righteousness, which is majestic.”‘
‘”Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.”‘
‘”Misery is what happiness rests upon. Happiness is what misery lurks beneath.”‘
‘”The purest white seems stained.”‘
‘”The new life created by the final integration is self-aware yet without ego, capable of inhabiting a body yet not attached to it, and guided by wisdom rather than emotion. Whole and virtuous, it can never die.”‘
‘”Every being in the universe is an expression of the Tao. It springs into existence, unconscious, perfect, free, takes on a physical body, lets circumstances complete it. That is why every being spontaneously honors the Tao. The Tao gives birth to all beings, nourishes them, maintains them, cares for them, comforts them, protects them, takes them back to itself, creating without possessing, acting without expecting, guiding without interfering. That is why love of the Tao is in the very nature of things.”‘
‘”Always without desire we must be found, If its deep mystery we would sound; But if desire always within us be, Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.”‘
‘”The river and the sea can be kings of a hundred valleys, because they lie below them.”‘
‘”For the wise man looks into space and he knows there is no limited dimensions.”‘
‘”To become learned, each day add something. To become enlightened, each day drop something”‘
‘”Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”‘
‘”The reason why rivers and seas are able to be lords over a hundred mountain streams, is that they know how to keep below them. That is why they are able to reign over all the mountain streams.”‘,
‘”The mature person perceives the fruitlessness of rigid, external methodologies; Remembering this, he keeps his attitude unstructured at all times and thus is always free to pursue the Integral Way. He studies the teachings of the masters. He dissolves all concepts of duality. He pours himself out in service to others.”‘
‘”Yet mystery and imagination arise from the same source. This source is called darkness … Darkness within darkness, the gateway to all understanding.”‘
‘”If you attach yourself to gross energies – loving this person, hating that clan, rejecting one experience or habitually indulging in another – then you will lead a series of heavy, attached lives. This can go on for a very long and tedious time.”‘
‘”When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.”‘
‘”Seek not happiness too greedily and be not fearful of happiness.”‘
‘”The sturdiest virtue seems fragile.”‘
‘”Live simply and virtuously, true to your nature, drawing no line between what is spiritual and what is not.”‘
‘”Knowing that you do not know is the best. Not knowing that you do not know is an illness.”‘
‘”Quiet your mind and stop judging and resisting and manipulating the natural way.”‘
‘”All men desire to free themselves solely from death; they do not know how to free themselves from life.”‘
‘”Face the simple fact before it comes involved. Solve the small problem before it becomes big.”‘
‘”Things flourish, then each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness: Stillness is called return to life, return to life is called the constant; knowing the constant is called enlightenment.”‘
‘”Truly, only those who see illness as illness can avoid illness.”‘
‘”The value comes from what is there, but the use comes from what is not there.”‘
‘”The value of teaching without words and accomplishing without action is understood by few in the world.”‘
‘”Without the tao, Kindness and compassion are replaced by law and justice; Faith and trust are supplanted by ritual and ceremony.”‘
‘”Stop thinking, and end your problems. What difference between yes and no? What difference between success and failure? Must you value what others value, avoid what others avoid? How ridiculous!”‘
‘”In this world, there is nothing softer or thinner than water. But to compel the hard and unyielding, it has no equal. That the weak overcomes the strong, that the hard gives way to the gentle – this everyone knows. Yet no one asks accordingly.”‘