790+ Best & Famous Lao Tzu Quotes and Philosophies | Taoism Quotes

About  Lao Tzu

Lao Tse, also known as Lao Tzu, was a writer during the 6th century before Christ. He was born in China around 604 BC and he died in 531 BC. Lao Tzu is also the founder of Taoism and the author of the Tao Te Ching. He was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer who is known to be the founder of Taoism.

Taoism is a philosophical and religious tradition that advocates living in harmony with the Tao. Lao Tzu believed that the most important thing in life was to live a life in harmony with Tao. He also believed that the Tao is one of the few constants in an ever-changing world

Taoism is an ancient Chinese belief that the meaning of existence can be found in simplicity. This belief system is about being without greed, aggression, or haste. This belief system is also about being in touch with nature and body, mind, and spirit.

Taoists believe in living a natural life. Taoists also believe that people should be open to change and that life should flow like water.

Buddhism is a philosophy that emphasizes becoming one with the rhythms of nature is known as the way of Tao. He associates the process of achieving riel happiness with managing the four fundamental areas of life resources, relationships, self-development, and self-maintenance.

Lao Tzu has been honored for his contributions to Eastern and Western philosophy. His philosophy is a blend of practical wisdom, spirituality, and humanism.

Lao Tzu Quotes About Life

1. The great, the eternal Tao is like an empty bowl.
2. It does not value things highly.
3. If we are attached to anything, then we cannot be free of the cycle of birth and death.
4. A new life begins as soon as you forget yourself-you know that?
5. The sage leaves no trace; he is gone before you know it. The servant leaves the scent of his work.
6. The best thing about the Tao is that it does not care where you come from or what your name is. All it wants is to be known.
7. The greatness of man has often been measured by his knowledge of the world, but this too must be set aside when he attends to that which gives him life and being: the Tao. Tao Te Ching
8. To die but not to perish is to live.
9. A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
10. Embracing the One, you can give birth to everything. It is often said that he who knows will keep his knowledge a secret, and in doing so realizes the Tao of Heaven.
11. The best of friends seems far away. Be not dismayed by this, because even though you have not yet met him, he is already on his way.
12. The great Tao flows everywhere; all things are born from it, and it does not deny them – it fulfills all things but claims no credit for itself.
13. The more the plain people are content with, the happier they will be.
14. The sage nourishes people with himself.
15. When people become too proud of their words, the world will be full of weapons.
16. The True Man does not value himself over others. Such a person is an example to the world, for he takes no notice of it.
17. Ah! how can a human being love another if he does not love himself?
18. Whoever does not take on great responsibilities will never be able to take advantage of great opportunities.
19. 19 . If you leave behind that which was born with you, then what can you take along?
20. Life is like a wheel. The best thing to do is to keep on turning it.
21. Cynics are people who know the value of bitter medicine, but they have not yet accepted it.
22. One man has more joy than another, but that does not imply one person has more right to joy than another; rather, it means that one person possesses more wisdom and virtue than the other.
23. The great Tao flows everywhere; all things are born from it, and it does not deny them – it fulfills all things but claims no credit for itself.
24. When the people are not contemplative, war is inevitable; when they are contemplative, war is impossible.
25. If a man understands the Tao, he will understand death; if he does not understand the Tao, he will not understand life either.
26. The Way of Heaven is like a great river, flowing to the sea: it rolls on and carries all things with it.
27. If you would be a teacher of men, you must show yourself the way to do this.
28. The Tao is never still; it is always in motion, always offering something to those who are awake to it.
29. Great Portents; foretell what will happen; Behold! All’s well! Let not your heart be troubled. The Great Tao flows on True to its course.
30. The work of the wise is a joy, and their delight lasts for a thousand generations.
31. The greatest function of the sage is to serve as an example to all, but his greatest service is the cultivation of humanity through the practice of what he preaches.
32. Whether you advance or retreat, you can never go wrong as long as you follow the Tao; that is why it is called The Way Of All Things. (Lao Tzu)
33. Forget about gain and loss, and you can always be at peace.
34. Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know.
35. The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.
36. The study of the Way is a matter of daily application without any breaks in continuity. If you learn it, you need not stop; if you unlearn it, you cannot start again.
37. When a man meets with a disaster, either he had not yet known the Tao, or he had forgotten it.
38. When a man knows something but keeps it to himself, that is the height of cunning.
39. If you cannot make friends with yourself, how can you expect to make friends with others?
40. If you have no sense of shame, how can you be ashamed of anyone else?
41. If you have no sense of right and wrong, how can you claim to be wise?
42. Even the hardest of things can be broken if they are hit with a hammer; even the most stubborn thing will yield at last under pressure. So it is with men: wheedling and cajoling can turn them back when they are on the point of following some untoward course of action. But only one in a hundred is so docile, so yielding that he will come back even if you scold him for his errors.
43. Thus, though the Tao is great, and though the sage is beyond compare, the people do not yet know either.
44. In this world there are two schools of thought: The one holds that life consists in eating and drinking; the other says that it consists in meeting with death. But I would rather meet with death than go on eating and drinking forever!
45. Himself content with little, he can give to others much.
46. He who knows others is learned, but he who knows himself is enlightened.
47. He who loves order loves life; he who loves life loves order. The more orderly a man is in his habits, the greater is his contentment with himself.
48. The more one improves one’s external self, the less one has of the self within; the more one gives of one’s self to others, the more of oneself there remains over for oneself.
49. When the Tao is lost, the Way remains; when the Way is lost, virtue remains.
50. If you wish to know how to be a man of complete virtue, follow the example of a newborn child: it does not seek its own good; it would rather let itself be beaten than hurt another.
51. A leader serves others before he serves himself; a commander serves himself before he serves others. The highest art is in having no art at all! (Lao Tzu)

Wisdom Lao Tzu Quotes

1. The wise person is cautious, in what they say, and slow to speak.
2. The wise person is like a mirror – they receive the good but do not show it.
3. The wise person knows how to value something without making sacrifices for it: the wealthy man knows how to be content with his riches; the poor man knows how to appreciate a little more than he has; the scholar knows how to love truth more than fame; and so on.
4. The wise person does not need to be overly concerned about what will happen in the future. Their actions are sufficient on their own, and they do not depend on external circumstances.
5. The wise person does not seek to live a long life, but gets a lot out of the life they have.
6. The wise person knows how to better an impression by not trying too hard.
7. The wise person has a sense of purpose and lives their life in accordance with it – but without clinging to it for support.
8. The wise person has a sense of purpose and lives their life in accordance with it – but without clinging to it for support.
9. The wise person does not seek compliments but prefers the freedom to give them.
10. The wise person is cautious, in what they say, and slow to speak.
11. The wise person is like a mirror – they receive the good but do not show it.
12. The wise person knows how to value something without making sacrifices for it: the wealthy man knows how to be content with his riches; the poor man knows how to appreciate a little more than he has; the scholar knows how to love truth more than fame; and so on.
13. The wise person is not greedy, is generous, and does not seek for profit nor gain.
14. The wise person does not need to be overly concerned about what will happen in the future. Their actions are sufficient on their own, and they do not depend on external circumstances.
15. The wise person does not seek to live a long life, but gets a lot out of the life they have.
16. The wise person knows how to better an impression by not trying too hard.
17. The wise person has a sense of purpose and lives their life in accordance with it – but without clinging to it for support.

Lao Tzu Quotes Thoughts

1. Thoughts are errors, beginners are cautious.
2. A people without a literature are like a tree without leaves or fruit; their destiny will be decided by others.
3. The sage wears coarse clothes in order to be in harmony with the way things are.
4. When the mind knows where it comes from, then we do not fear death because our roots are deep and strong and we live by them while they still support us.
5. Knowing others is knowledge, knowing yourself is enlightenment.
6. The softest thing in the world overcomes the hardest, that which has no substance penetrates even the solid mountains. No wonder nothing in the world can oppose it.
7. The most skillful masters cannot make it look like they are doing anything, and so they accomplish everything though it does not seem so.
8. If you want to be a great leader instead of a boss, learn to follow the Tao and you will be able to lead without coercion or force.
9. A leader’s job is to make others want to follow you without coercion or force.
10. The Tao is like a river; it does not compete with people for its own water, but gives all of itself and does not ask for return.
11. So long as the Tao exists, there must be order without bosses or rulers, justice and righteousness without laws or judges, charity and love without donations or requisitions, usefulness without trade and profit.
12. Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
13. When the great Tao is forgotten, kindness and morality arise; when wisdom and intelligence are born, there is the great distinction between noble and base ones.
14. A leader’s job is to make others want to follow you without coercion or force.

Lao Tzu Quotes Journey

1. The journey is the destination
2. The soul is our birthright
3. All things change in this world
4. All things return to the one
5. The road is long, and you will reach your destination alone
6. No person knows another’s path, nor can an other know his own
7. In the mind of a child like innocence is forever
8. And when it passes on to a new child and they grow old wise from seeing it before themself
9. It takes years of learning to see and learn from the faults of others
10. Thus it is that there is no wisdom in knowing of all people’s faults
11. But in your mind you can see the future for ordinary people
12. Thus it is that they know all things, but only know them for a moment
13. This world is a place where in things change, yet the one does not change.
14. Thus it is that we are the ones who know all things, but know them not well
15. And if you know nothing of others, yet you know a great deal about yourself
16. His mind is like a still cave, with water and mirrors in it
17. To these he add water to make it clear
18. This is the harmony of nature, and thus it is with his mind
19. When trouble comes to them they ask forgiveness from the world
20. When they come in peace they are at peace with all of it
21. The good are like the bright, and the men who do not do evil are like the sun
22. Hardship, and life in it, is only a cloak that layers over our senses
23. If you are afraid of your enemies do wrong to keep them from power and strife
24. And their souls will always know it, yet not know to ask for forgiveness

Lao Tzu Quotes Water

1. Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a matter of fact, water destroys whatever is rigid and strong.
2. The weak can overcome the strong; the soft can overcome the hard. What you resist persists; what you let go of disappears.
3. Water overcomes hardness, softness overcomes hardness.
4. The soft and supple can wrap round the hard and inflexible, while the hard and inflexible are unable to break or penetrate the soft and pliant.
5. Water has its own laws; it flows on its own accord in a constant stream, never staying in one place for long. But water does not move of itself; it is pushed along by someone who directs it with his hands.
6. Water flows and has its own law; it does not go anywhere of itself, but is pushed along by someone who directs it with his hands.
7. The soft overcomes the hard, the weak overcomes the strong, the higher passion overcomes the lower.
8. The soft and supple can wrap round the hard and inflexible, while the hard and inflexible are unable to break or penetrate the soft and pliant.
9. The most rigid will decay, the most open will close, the biggest will be filled up, and the smallest will disappear.
10. If you desire to take over from your predecessors then you must dwell in the worst place of your own domain.
11. You have only to follow what is natural in the world in order to find its subtle wonders; its resources are infinite, but people can never get enough of it; so much that they become greedy for more.
12. As water is to fish, so are you to those about you.
13. If your actions are correct and open, success will follow with them.
14. I do not understand the way of water; yet it does not demand that I bestir myself to support it: everything yields to it without effort. Because I do not seek the possessions of others, my things possess me not; hence I have no troubles at all in my life.
15. In the world, there are right and wrong ways to do things. To do them in the right way is to be in accord with nature.
16. The more we discuss differences among things, the less we shall find in them.
17. A wise man does not try to force events but waits for opportunity and then he takes action; for he has learnt that by waiting one can control everything .
18. It is when it becomes still that water shows who it really is.
19. What is twisted is easily distorted; what has been bent becomes crooked.
20. The wise hold in esteem those who are not thought wise.
21. It is in the valley of humility that one finds the way of life.
22. My teaching needs no book; my use of it no tongue or sound; the whole world supplies me with its material, and I am its servant for ever.

Best Lao Tzu Quotes

1. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
2. A skilled calligrapher can write characters from a distance of three paces away.
3. A daydream is often more interesting than reality, and it lasts much longer too!
4. The sky is not the limit; there are footprints on the moon.
5. Don’t be in a hurry to grow old; you won’t have the years you’ve spent regretting them back anyway!
6. Having fun is not enough, it must be meaningful too.
7. Time does not heal all wounds; the hurt lingers for a long time, even after the pain is gone.
8. A good beginning makes a good ending.
9. The meek often inherit great things.
10. Take advantage of the wind, and you can walk on water!
11. A haven for the weary
12. A river is not a river, but rather a constant state of becoming.
13. The more I love you, the more I want to love you!
14. Ancient wisdom tells us that it is better to lead than to be led: sometimes we have to be the horse and sometimes we have to be the saddle!
15. People do strange things in this world; what makes them even stranger is that they seem perfectly happy doing them!
16. The things we love are never really gone; they’re just hidden more deeply away.
17. A single flower does not make a spring, but a thousand flowers do make a park!
18. Always hold on to the hope that one day, you will understand.
19. A man can know much by observing little, and can understand much by doing nothing but thinking!
20. The great thing about life is that it goes by so fast, we don’t have time to be bored!
21. Traveling is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.
22. The biggest advantage of a river is that it’s always flowing!
23. If you take your life into your own hands, why should you expect things to turn out the way you want them to?
24. The sky is not about to fall!
25. You will know a great man when he is kind as gentle as a child and wise as old age.
26. What do you think about a man who makes his fortune by being wise and has the courage to remain a fool?
27. Not understanding is the worst punishment in life.
28. It is better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone.
29. A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
30. Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ!
31. Love makes the world go round, take my word for it!
32. A whole world is hidden behind a single face.
33. A wise man is at home in all places.
34. Love your enemy as much as your friend!
35. There are more things you do not know than there are things you know You will learn more in ten years of study than you will during the course of your entire life!
36. A man who has nothing to do but talk is savoring the pleasures of the mind.
37. The truth always pierces through.
38. Happiness is like a wheel: It has no beginning and consists of two parts, it goes on forever!
39. Life is too short not to spend it with the ones you love!
40. Love is friendship set on fire by desire or passion; it is a strife that must be followed by marriage
41. When anger rises, think of the consequences.
42. To spend a little time with someone you love is more precious than to pass a lot of time with someone you don’t like!
43. The best thing is to choose your friends wisely so that you will have no enemies!
44. A journey of a thousand miles begins with but one step.
45. Be quick to listen and slow to speak: the tongue can be your enemy!

Lao Tzu Quotes Knowing Yourself

1. To know your enemy, become your enemy.
2. If you want to be a master, serve someone who is one.
3. Tao being ungraspable by the mind allows the heart to remain pure.
4. Do not dwell in the past. Do not dream of the future. The only reality is here and now.
5. 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.
6. To put an end to suffering, go through suffering.
7. Leadership is swaying others to your will without doing violence to them; persuasion is doing violence without swaying them to your will.
8. To the man who knows when he is beaten, defeat is victory.
9. Be courteous in your speech and thoughts.
10. Do not dwell in the past; let the dead bury their own dead. Do not dream of the future; let conscience bury all regrets. The only reality is here and now.
11. The more you honour others, the more you honour yourself, and the greater becomes your happiness.
12. . Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.
13. Whatever is, is right.
14. A good soldier is not violent. A good fighter does not get angry. A good conqueror does not engage in battle, and a good leader does not raise arms against others.
15. Leave the affairs of the world to others and you will find that they will leave you alone.
16. When your mind is still, the Tao flows through it.
17. The Tao is always present within you, but can only be seen by looking inward.
18. A high hill does not keep watch over a valley; hills and valleys are like this because of the Tao’s way of being beyond all thought of good or evil.
19. . Who can tell but that the seeming impossibilities of today are tomorrow’s realities?
20. The ancient Masters were subtle, mysterious, and profound in their thoughts . . . because they could see beyond the limitations of a small world.
21. The wise do not follow what they hear; they say what others have not yet said.
22. If you would take, then give. This is the rule of nature. To do otherwise is to be unnatural.
23. He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.
24. . The good leader does not ask his people to sacrifice for him; he sacrifices himself for them.
25. The highest good leads to doing little; the lowest evil leads to doing much.
26. 26 .. Wise men do not hoard wealth…and are content with what they have. Their hearts are always free from the desire for more.
27. . The wise want for nothing, but their hearts’ desire is for all people to be at peace.
28. . The ruler who follows the Tao rules without imposing rules upon others.
29. . If you want to keep a secret from an enemy, tell it to your friends; if you want to keep a secret from your friends, tell it to no one.

Lao Tzu Quotes Leadership

1. “Be the one who is not busy.”
2. “Act on what you know, and know on what you act.”
3. “When there are too many people in power, the country falls into chaos.”
4. “What others teach you is for your own learning; what you teach yourself is for your own use.”
5. “The best leaders create more leaders by sharing knowledge with others. They also show confidence in their followers by extending them trust, responsibility, and leadership opportunities.”
6. “When you give out, you get back. When you get out, you give back.”
7. “If there is no sense of urgency then relax a little more.”
8. “Know that power is only an illusion and there really is no power.”
9. “You can have everything in life that you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.”
10. “It’s who we are, not what we have, that gives us our security and peace of mind.”
11. “A leader is not installed in a place. He is installed on the people. And the peoples’ heart should be responsive to their leaders.”
12. “Leadership is not about telling people what to do, rather it is about being able to inspire them to do what they want and need.”
13. “The more you do for others, the more you will have of yourself.”
14. “In order for leaders to be effective, they must have a sense of urgency and an intrinsic desire to learn from their mistakes. They also should have the drive to inspire and empower the people they lead.”
15. “The best leaders are those that can find common ground, not someone to blame.”
16. “There are two types of leaders – those who want to be loved and those who want to be respected.”
17. “When a leader establishes a vision and shares it with others, great things happen.”

Lao Tzu Quotes Watch Your Thoughts

1. Your thoughts are not your own.
2. Your thoughts are constantly creating your reality.
3. There is no such thing as a hopeless situation, there is only the thought of hopelessness.
4. Remember that everything has already happened, so there’s nothing left to do but observe what you’ve already done or become aware of the conditions that lead up to a certain event and make different choices for yourself in the future to avoid having those same circumstances arise again.
5. Don’t resist what comes to you but instead let everything come to you.
6. Walk away from the problem and the solution will reveal itself.
7. Don’t look for anything outside yourself because it’s within you that all the answers lie.
8. Give up all hope of results, just work on and on without thought of success or failure, and success will ultimately follow in whatever form you wish it to take.
9. Don’t fix things, just see what’s broken and try to fix it.
10. Don’t resist what comes to you but instead let everything come to you.
11. Your success is determined by your concentration and not by the thought of others.
12. Simplicity is beauty in action, and the genius of Lao Tzu was always his simplicity; his words are so crystalline that they cast into sharpest relief every other line in his writings.
13. Inaction breeds more problems than action.
14. When you are finished with your work, it is finished. When you are through with your journey, you are through. When you take a rest, you cease. Do not continue in the same way that you began, for this is not the way of Tao .
15. The reason we make mistakes is either because we think too much or because we don’t think at all.
16. If there is no enemy within, how can there be one without?
17. If you have no enemies, where is your victory?
18. If you know others are your enemies, act as your own friend. If they are your friends, remain as your own enemy.
19. To be free of worries and anxieties, be without desires and expectations. True perfection is found when the mind is completely free of all conditioning; a man who loses his selfishness becomes truly enlightened.
20. A man’s character is his fate.
21. When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.
22. There are no perfect men in this world; we are all perfect expressions of our own potentialities.
23. Followers do not understand life; they are attached to material things and pursue them until death overtakes them. They do not know that the Tao is ever-present within themselves at all times, so they fail to grow along its path.
24. He who follows the Tao is close to it, being free from worry and fear.
25. When you see yourself in action, you see yourself in life; when you see yourself in life, you see your face everywhere; when your face is everywhere, all things become one with you.
26. The student is not yet fit to express his opinions; he must remain, mum, until he can use words properly.
27. Stop accumulating things!
28. Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you!
29. Become as a little child again, before it has learned to think and discriminate, before the union with its parents, before the knowledge of right and wrong.
30. Like a newborn baby, we are born into this world without any preconceptions about our life or selves

Lao Tzu Quotes About Love

1. “He who sees with his eyes, but does not see with his heart, is stupid.”
2. “A good husband is one who helps you make the most of yourself.”
3. “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character.”
4. “He who stands on tiptoe is not steady; he who strides cannot maintain the pace; he who makes a display does not bring credit.”
5. “When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.”
6. “All men are brothers and each man is accountable for every other.”
7. “Let us return to the main road: Perfect goodness is like water, which benefits all things and does not compete with them.”
8. “Knowing others is wisdom; knowing yourself is enlightenment.”
9. “The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own.”
10. “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”
11. “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
12. “The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences.”
13. “A contented man is never a slave. True freedom is not far from him.”
14. “He who is content with his lot will find contentment in his lot; he who has two coats will clothe himself in the one.”
15. “To go to another, but keep your filial piety: a famous man may achieve this. To go to another, and forget your father: a sinner cannot reach this.”
16. “It does not matter where you are going; what matters is that each step forward is an act of faith.”
17. “A man who is contented and peaceful is trusted by the people. To live at ease without discontent leads to an honored old age.”
18. “The good man does not set his mind either for anything or against anything.”
19. “The great Way flows everywhere, both to the right and to the left. All things depend on it for life, and it does not turn away from them.”
20. “Learn as if you would never be able to master it; believe as if it were impossible to fail. This is the Way to learn without failing.”
21. “Do not look at how far you have to go, but look at how much you have left to do.”
22. “Good mind is the root of all virtue.”
23. “A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”
24. “The truth that words cannot express should be passed on through the heart.”
25. “To be able to practice for one day without losing one’s temper is to have mastered the art of patience.”
26. “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
27. “He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty.”
28. “Rest in inaction, and there will be no day when you cannot act.”
29. “The wise man is always learning; the fool never stops talking.”
30. “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”
31. “Stay centred within yourself and embrace all of creation.”
32. “To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying ‘Amen’ to what the world tells you that you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.”
33. “Those who are strong have no fear of death; those who can endure this great change are truly rich.”
34. “He is a right man who does not seek to rule, but lets himself be ruled.”
35. “When the mind is centered, then the Way is clear; when wisdom prevails, then we can see clearly.”
36. “The hard part of a task often makes it seem impossible; but when you persevere, your goals will appear within reach.”
37. “He who does not honor his parents will surely die.”
38. “Humility is the hallmark of all the truly great men.”
39. “Keep on learning even after your ninety-ninth year, so that your knowledge will never rust out.”
40. “A man lives in three ways: as a citizen, as a soldier, and as a parent.”

Taoism Quotes

1. The sage is like a little child.
2. The sage has no self; to him, self is a thing to be forgotten.
3. A man cannot walk two roads at once, enlightenment and desire cannot both be pursued
4. Perfect knowledge comes with time and patience
5. He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know
6. To do something halfway is to fail in one’s intentions
7. A man should be upright, not standing out from the group
8. A man’s power is like a circle whose center is everywhere, but whose circumference no one can find
9. The wise are like unto water; for water benefits everything without competing with anything
10. The wise use mind as a tool: the fool treats the mind as an entity in itself
11. The use of knowledge to control is a form of violence
12. In matters of wisdom, there is a time for silence
13. The wise do not seek to show their mastery, but others do
14. Wisdom is not gained in the learning of books or by formal education but comes with age and experience
15. The sage is open-minded and shows tolerance for all views; he does not set limits to others’ inquiries
16. To be discreet is best; to speak openly tends to reveal the secrets of others
17. The sage knows when to stop; others wear themselves out
18. Men overestimate what they can do in a day
19. The wise do not build up stores of food for the future; he who is far-sighted prepares for the day after tomorrow
20. The sage values detachment above all else
21. Excessive hoarding produces distress and anxiety
22. If you have much, give of your surplus to those who have less than yourself.
23. “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
24. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
25. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth   The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
26. Those who have knowledge but don’t act are like a city under siege; those who act but don’t know are like a man drowning
27. Those who perceive their faults first have none to correct. Those who correct others first have no time to realize their own mistakes
28. The wise speak little; they accomplish much
29. The wise do not accumulate possessions for the benefit of their children
30. The wise are heedless of time; they are mindful of opportunities
31. To understand the secret by which the ancients were able to achieve longevity, eat and drink sparingly; hold fast to the One; cherish tranquility; and be cautious in speech
32. The sage does not accumulate for himself but is rather like a channel to supply

Lao Tzu Quotes

Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.