Classic quotes from Lao Tzu

 1. The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named

is not the eternal name. 2. Contentment prevents disgrace; knowing when to stop

prevents danger. 3. A house full of gold and jade cannot be guarded; pride in wealth and honor invites disaster. Retiring after success is the way of Heaven.

4. Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him.

5. Profound and mysterious, the gateway to all wonders.

6. Know the male, but keep to the female; know the white, but keep to the black; know the glory, but keep to the shame.

7. A great man dwells in the substantial, not the superficial; dwells in the real, not the showy.

8. I have three treasures, which I hold and cherish: the first is compassion, the second is frugality, and the third is not daring to be the first in the world.

9. Few understand me, therefore I am valued; this is why the sage wears coarse clothes but carries jade within.

10. Blunt its sharpness, untangle its knots, soften its light, and become one with its dust.

11. Governing a country with wisdom is the bane of the country; governing a country without wisdom is the blessing of the country.

12. To be above the people, one must speak humbly to them; to lead the people, one must put oneself behind them.

13. Where an army is stationed, thorns and brambles grow; after a great army passes, there will surely be a year of famine.

14. Weapons are inauspicious instruments, not the instruments of a gentleman; they should only be used as a last resort, and tranquility is paramount.

15. I do nothing, and the people transform themselves; I prefer stillness, and the people correct themselves; I am free from affairs, and the people become prosperous; I am without desires, and the people become simple.

16. Act before things exist, govern before chaos arises.


17. Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.

18. Misfortune is the foundation of fortune; fortune is the harbinger of misfortune.

19. Nameless, the beginning of heaven and earth; named, the mother (root) of all things.

20. When everyone knows beauty as beauty, ugliness is already present; when everyone knows goodness as goodness, evil is already present.

21. Therefore, the sage acts without acting, teaches without speaking.

22. He produces without possessing, acts without relying on his own abilities, and accomplishes without claiming credit.

23. By not valuing the virtuous, the people will not contend; by not treasuring rare goods, the people will not steal; by not displaying what is desirable, the people's hearts will not be disturbed. 24. Therefore, the sage

governs by emptying their minds, filling their hearts, weakening their ambitions, and strengthening their bones, constantly keeping the people without knowledge or desire.

25. By acting without acting, nothing is left ungoverned. 26.

Heaven and earth are not benevolent, treating all things like straw dogs; the sage is not benevolent, treating the people like straw dogs.

27. Therefore, the sage puts himself last, yet comes first; he puts himself outside, yet remains. Is it not because of his selflessness that he can achieve his own ends?

28. Dwell in a good place, keep your heart deep, be benevolent in your interactions, be trustworthy in your words, govern justly, be capable in your actions, and act at the right time.

29. The five colors blind the eye, the five sounds deafen the ear, the five flavors dull the palate, galloping and hunting drive the mind mad, and rare goods lead to wrongdoing.

30. Be alarmed by favor or disgrace; value yourself for the sake of the world, and you can be entrusted with the world; love yourself for the sake of the world, and you can be entrusted with the world.

31. Those who were good at being scholars in ancient times were subtle, profound, and unfathomable.

32. Knowing the constant is called enlightenment. Not knowing the constant leads to reckless action and misfortune.

33. The highest ruler is one whose existence is merely known by the people; next is one who is loved and praised; next is one who is feared

; and the next is one who is despised. 34. When the Great Way is abandoned, benevolence and righteousness arise; when wisdom emerges, great hypocrisy arises.

35. Abandon sagacity and discard wisdom, and the people will benefit a hundredfold; abandon benevolence and discard righteousness, and the people will return to filial piety and kindness; abandon skill and discard profit, and there will be no thieves or robbers.

36. See simplicity and embrace the uncarved block; have few selfish desires and little

greed. 37. Abandon learning and you will have no worries.

38. I am uniquely different from others.

39. Not showing oneself, therefore one is enlightened; not being self-righteous, therefore one is distinguished; not boasting, therefore one has merit; not being arrogant, therefore one endures.

40. Rare words are natural.

41. Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Way, and the Way follows nature.

42. Good deeds leave no trace, good words leave no flaw.

43. The world is a sacred vessel, not to be manipulated. Those who manipulate it will fail, those who grasp it will lose it.

44. Those who assist the ruler with the Way do not use force to conquer the world. Such actions often backfire; where armies are stationed, thorns grow; after a great army passes, there will surely be a year of famine.

45. Goodness has its purpose, but one should not use it to force others. Achieve results without arrogance, without boasting, without pride; achieve results only when necessary, without forcing. Things that are strong will eventually decline.

46. Victory is not beautiful, but those who find beauty in it delight in killing. Those who delight in killing will not gain the support of the world.

47. He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened. He who overcomes others has strength; he who overcomes himself is mighty.

48. To contract something, one must first expand it; to weaken something, one must first strengthen it; to abolish something, one must first promote it; to take something away, one must first give it.

49. The weak overcomes the strong.

50. A nation's most powerful weapons should not be shown to others.

51. The Tao is always inactive, yet nothing is left undone.

52. The noble takes the lowly as its foundation, the high takes the low as its base.

53. Reversal is the movement of the Tao; weakness is the function of the Tao.

54. Great squareness has no corners; great talent matures late; great sound is inaudible; great form is formless.

55. The Tao gives birth to one; one gives birth to two; two gives birth to three; three gives birth to all things.

56. Excessive love inevitably leads to great expense; excessive hoarding inevitably leads to great loss. Contentment prevents disgrace; knowing when to stop prevents danger.

57. Great perfection seems flawed, yet its use is inexhaustible; great fullness seems empty, yet its use is boundless. Great straightness seems crooked; great skill seems clumsy; great braids seem hesitant.

58. When the world is governed by the Tao, even warhorses are used for manure; when the world is not governed by the Tao, warhorses breed in the suburbs.

59. Without going out of the door, one can know the world; without looking out of the window, one can see the Tao.

60. In learning, one gains daily; in practicing the Tao, one loses daily. Losing and losing again, until one reaches non-action, and through non-action, nothing is left undone.

61. A sage has no fixed mind; he takes the mind of the people as his own. He treats the good with goodness, and the bad with goodness as well.

62. A sage, in the world, unanimously embraces the world, treating everyone like a child.

63. Block its openings, shut its doors, and you will never toil.

64. Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know. 65.

Govern the country with righteousness, wage war with unorthodox tactics, and conquer the world through inaction.

66. The more taboos there are in the world, the poorer the people become; the more weapons the people possess, the more chaotic the state becomes; the more cunning the people are, the more strange things arise; the more laws and regulations are promulgated, the more thieves there are.

67. Righteousness can turn into unorthodox tactics, and goodness can become evil.

68. Be straightforward but not unrestrained, be bright but not dazzling. 69.

In governing people and serving Heaven, nothing is better than frugality.

70. The most difficult things in the world must be done from the easiest; the greatest things in the world must be done from the smallest.

71. Be as careful at the end as at the beginning, and you will not fail. Therefore, the sage desires what others do not desire, and does not value rare goods; he learns what others do not learn, and corrects the mistakes of the masses.

72. He does not enlighten the people, but rather keeps them ignorant. The people are difficult to govern because they are too clever.

73. To be above the people, one must speak humbly to them; to lead the people, one must put oneself behind them. Therefore

, the sage is in a high position yet the people do not feel burdened; he is in front yet the people are not harmed. 74. A good soldier is not aggressive; a good warrior is not angry; a good conqueror does not fight; a good leader governs the world. This is called the virtue of non-contention; this is called the power of employing people.

75. I dare not be the host but the guest, dare not advance an inch but retreat a foot.

76. When armies clash, the one who grieves wins.

77. It is precisely because of ignorance that they do not know me. Those who know me are few, therefore those who know me are valued. Therefore, the sage wears coarse clothes

but carries jade within. 78. The people are hungry because their rulers consume too much in taxes; the people are difficult to govern because their rulers are too active.

79. A strong army will be destroyed; a strong tree will be broken.

80. A small country with few people should have weapons and tools, but not use them; its people should value life and not migrate far away.

81. No calamity is greater than insatiable greed; no fault is greater than covetousness.

82. A good merchant hides his wealth as if he were unworthy, and a virtuous person appears foolish.