Laozi Quotes

The Master's power is like this. He lets all things come and go effortlessly, without desire. He never expects results; thus he is never disappointed. He is never disappointed; thus his spirit never grows old.

You cannot know the body by studying the finger, and you cannot understand the universe by learning one science.

What's the difference between yes and no?

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.

The True Person avoids extremes, self-indulgence, and extravagance.

Fame of self: Which matters more? Self or wealth: Which is more precious? Gain or loss: Which is more painful?

Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere. Those who are skilled (in the Tao) do not dispute (about it); the disputatious are not skilled in it. Those who know (the Tao) are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.

The living are soft and yielding; the dead are rigid and stiff. Living plants are flexible and tender; the dead are brittle and dry.

Hold on to the ancient Way to master the present, and to learn the distant beginning.

The Tao is told is not the Tao.

What's the difference between beautiful and ugly?

The flame that burns Twice as bright burns half as long.

In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart.

Perfection is the willingness to be imperfect.

A government can be compared to our lungs. Our lungs are best when we don't realize they are helping us breathe. It is when we are constantly aware of our lungs that we know they have come down with an illness.

What the Way is to the world, the stream is to the river and the sea.

In ancient times, those who followed the Way did not try to give people knowledge thereof, but kept them ignorant.

There is no greater crime than desire.

Other people are joyous, like on the feast of the ox, like on the way up to the terrace in the spring. I alone am inert, giving no sign, like a newborn baby who has not learned to smile.

We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it liveable.

The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.

Be who you are, and go the whole way.

Nature's way is simple and easy, but men prefer the intricate and artificial.

Those who praise themselves do not prevail.

A vessel is formed from a lump of clay with care, however, it is the empty space within the vessel that makes it useful.

Racing through the field and hunting make the mind wild.

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple.

When the uncarved wood is split, its parts are put to use. When the sage is put to use, he becomes the head.

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.

Kind words elicit trust. Kind thoughts create depth. Kind deeds bring love.

True words seem false.

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.

Giving to others selflesly and anonymously, radiating light throughout the world and illuminating your own darkness, your virtue becomes a sanctuary for yourself and all beings.

To manage your mind, know that there is nothing, and then relinquish all attachment to nothingness.

Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory. - Diane Arbus By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.

When the sage stands above people, they are not oppressed. When he leads people, they are not obstructed. The world will exalt him and not grow tired of him.

Requite injury with kindness.

By compassion one can be brave.

When the palace is magnificent, the fields are filled with weeds, and the granaries are empty.

How do I know about the world? By what is within me.

The Master observes the world, but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. His heart is as open as the sky.

The wise man, after learning something new, is afraid to learn anything more until he has put his first lesson into practice.

Rule your mind with serenity rather than with force and manipulation.

To lead people, walk behind them.

The Tao gives birth to One. One gives birth to Two. Two gives birth to Three. Three gives birth to all things. All things have their backs to the female and stand facing the male. When male and female combine, all things achieve harmony. Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.

Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know. Close your mouth, block off your senses, blunt your sharpness, untie your knots, soften your glare, settle your dust. This is the primal identity. Be like the Tao. It can't be approached or withdrawn from, benefited or harmed, honored or brought into disgrace. It gives itself up continually. That is why it endures.

The eye with which you see God is the same eye with which God sees you; one in seeing; one in knowing; one in loving.

Profound virtue is indeed deep and wide. It leads all things back to the great order.