Laozi Quotes

The softest in the world surpasses the hardest in the world.

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.

Holding on to the weak is called strength.

A man is born gentle and weak. At death he is hard and stiff.

He who knows much about others may be learned, but he who understands himself is more intelligent. He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

In the Universe the difficult things are done as if they were easy.

Know honor, Yet keep humility. Be the valley of the universe! Being the valley of the universe, Ever true and resourceful, Return to the state of the uncarved block.

It is fitting for a great nation to yield.

What is a good man? A teacher of a bad man. What is a bad man? A good man's charge?

To bear the country's disgrace is to rule the shrines of soil and grain. To bear the country's misfortunes is to be the king of the world.

Yielding, like ice about to melt.

Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle. A tree that is unbending is easily broken.

There is no greater offence than harbouring desires. There is no greater disaster than discontent. There is no greater misfortune than wanting more.

The truly wise are content to be last. They are, therefore, first. They are indifferent to themselves. They are, therefore self-confident.

Instead of being afraid of death, we should try to awake to life; and the only death we should escape from is to forget the presence of God into us.

Yet mystery and reality emerge from the same source.

Displaying riches and titles with pride brings about one's downfall.

An integral being knows without going, sees without looking, and accomplishes without doing.

When family ties are disturbed, devoted children arise.

The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be. Try to make people moral, and you lay the groundwork for vice.

Can you be still and look inside?If so, then you know the truth is always available, and always responsive.

If people do not revere the Law of Nature It will adversely affect them. If they accept It with knowledge and reverence, It will accommodate them with balance and harmony.

Rituals are the end of fidelity and honesty, and the beginning of confusion.

The wise trusts not only to his physical eyes - thus he can see clearly.

There is no greater crime than desire.

The words of truth are always paradoxical. To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.

The sage attends to the belly, and not to what he sees.

All things in the world come from being. And being comes from non-being.

The ten thousand things flourish and then each returns to the root from which it came. Returning to the root is stillness. Through stillness each fulfils its destiny.

Few things under heaven bring more benefit than the lessons learned from silence and the actions taken without striving.

Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you.

Abandon fancy theologies and imaginary ideas and do some ordinary daily work... {Engage in this work with} unswerving kindness and unending patience.

The liberation cannot be reached but by means of the perception of the identity of the individual spirit with the universal spirit.

The True Person benefits yet expects no reward, does the work and moves on. There is no desire to be considered better than others.

Taking things lightly must lead to big difficulties.

The truly great man dwells on what is real and not what is on the surface.

The female always surpasses the male with stillness. In her stillness she is yielding.

The Way is hidden and nameless. Still only the Way nourishes and completes.

Being is born of not being.

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

Abandon benevolence, discard duty, and people will return to the family ties.

Whatever one cultivates, is what one becomes.

Do nothing, and leave nothing undone. ["Doing nothing" is what happens when the doer disappears, it isn't something that one does or chooses not to do.]

Those who die without being forgotten get longevity.

Good walking leaves no track behind it.

If people live in constant fear of death, and if breaking the law is punished by death, then who would dare?

As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow. The top is bent downward; the bottom is bent up. It adjusts excess and deficiency so that there is perfect balance.

A good calculator does not need artificial aids.

Praise leads to weakness. Getting it causes fear, losing it causes fear.

Be merciful, moderate, and modest.