Disclaimer: some of the quotes might be incorrectly attributed.
"A violent wind does not last for a whole morning;
a sudden rain does not last for the whole day." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish without show, accomplish without arrogance, accomplish without grabbing, accomplish without forcing." (Lao Tzu)
"Act without expectation." (Lao Tzu)
"All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power." (Lao-Tzu)
"An over sharpened sword cannot last long." (Lao Tzu)
"As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it." (Lao Tzu)
"As the soft yield of water cleaves obstinate stone,
So to yield with life solves the insolvable:
To yield, I have learned, is to come back again." (Lao-tzu)
"As to the roaming of sages,
They move in utter emptiness,
Let their minds meander in the great nothingness;
They run beyond convention
And go through where there is no gateway.
They listen to the soundless
And look at the formless,
They are not constrained by society
And not bound to its customs." (Lao Tzu)
"Be bent, and you will remain straight.
Be vacant, and you will remain full.
Be worn, and you will remain new." (Lao Tzu)
"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." (Lao Tzu)
"Be still; Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity." (Lao Tzu)
"Because one believes in oneself,
one doesn't try to convince others.
Because one is content with oneself,
one doesn't need others' approval.
Because one accepts oneself,
the whole world accepts him or her." (Lao Tzu)
"Become totally empty,
Quiet the restlessness of the mind,
Only then will you witness everything unfolding from emptiness" (Lao Tzu)
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." (Lao Tzu)
"Boasting of wealth and virtue brings your demise." (Lao Tzu)
"But when the universe becomes your self,
when you love the world as yourself,
all reality becomes your haven,
reinventing you as your own heaven." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"By letting go it all gets done." (Lao Tzu)
"By standing alone and unchanging, you will find that everything comes to you and the energy of the cosmos will never be exhausted." (Lao Tsu)
"Can your learned head take leaven from the wisdom of your heart?" (Lao Tzu)
"Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner." (Lao Tzu)
"Chanting is no more holy than listening to the murmur of a stream,
couting prayer beads no more scared than simply breathing,
religious robed no more spiritual than work clothes." (Lao Tzu)
"Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Clay is molded to make a vessel,
but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing.
Thus, taking advantage of what is,
we recognize the utility of what is not." (Lao Tzu)
"Composure is the ruler of instability." (Lao Tzu)
"Conquering others requires force.
Conquering oneself requires strength." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Countless words count less
than the silent balance between yin and yang" (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"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." (Lao Tzu)
"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." (Lao Tzu)
"Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles
and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the
right action arises by itself?" (Lao Tzu)
"Do you imagine the universe is agitated?
Go into the desert at night and look at the stars.
This practice should answer the question." (Lao Tzu)
"Do you think that you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear. Integral awareness is fluid and adaptable, present in all places and at all times. That is true meditation... .
The Tao is clear and simple, and it doesn't avoid the world." (Lao Tzu)
"Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity." (Lao Tzu)
"Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing." (Lao Tzu)
"Easy gives rise to difficult ... resonance
harmonizes sound, after follows before." (Lao Tzu)
"Every step is on the path." (Lao Tzu)
"Everything flows." (Lao Tzu)
"Existence is beyond the power of words
To define:
Terms may be used
But are none of them absolute.
In the beginning of heaven and earth there were no words,
Words came out of the womb of matter;
And whether a man dispassionately
Sees to the core of life
Or passionately
Sees the surface,
The core and the surface
Are essentially the same,
Words making them seem different
Only to express appearance.
If name be needed, wonder names them both:
From wonder into wonder
Existence opens." (Lao Tzu)
"Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.
Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Failure is the foundation of success, and the means by which it is achieved." (Lao-tzu)
"Figure out the rhythm of life and live in harmony with it." (Lao Tzu)
"Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Free from desire, you realize the mystery
caught in the desire, you see only the manifestations." (Lao Tzu)
"Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Give up virtue, renounce wisdom;
people will benefit a thousand times.
Give up kindness, renounce morality,
people will embrace love and filial piety.
Give up cleverness, renounce greed,
bandits and thieves will vanish." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Go to the people. Live with them, learn from them, love them." (Lao Tzu)
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." (Lao Tzu)
"He who acts, spoils; he who grasps, lets slip." (Lao Tzu)
"He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty." (Lao Tzu)
"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still." (Lao Tzu)
"He who defends with love will be secure; Heaven will save him, and protect him with love." (Lao Tzu)
"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." (Lao Tsu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"He who knows other men is discerning;
he who knows himself is intelligent.
He who overcomes others is strong;
he who overcomes himself is mighty.
He who is satisfied with his lot is rich;
he who goes on acting with energy has a (firm) will.
He who does not fail in the requirements of his position, continues long;
he who dies and yet does not perish, has longevity." (Lao Tzu)
"He who has no faith in others shall find no faith in them." (Lao Tzu)
"He who is contented is rich." (Lao Tzu)
"He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know." (Lao Tzu)
"He who stands on tiptoe
doesn't stand firm.
He who rushes ahead
doesn't go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can't know who he really is.
He who has power over others
can't empower himself.
He who clings to his work
will create nothing that endures.
If you want to accord with the Tao,
just do your job, then let go." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"He who talks more is sooner exhausted." (Lao Tzu)
"Health is the greatest possession.
Contentment is the greatest treasure.
Confidence is the greatest friend." (Lao Tzu)
"Heaven's net is wide, but its mesh is fine" (Lao Tzu)
"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?" (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"How do coves and oceans become kings of the hundred rivers?
Because they are good at keeping low -
That is how they are kings of the hundred rivers.
Nothing in the world is weaker than water,
But it has no better in overcoming the hard." (Lao Tzu)
"I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is 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." (Lao Tzu)
"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." (Lao Tzu)
"If I had just a little bit of wisdom
I should walk the great path and fear only straying from it." (Lao Tzu)
"If the force of arms is considered the only means of authority, it is not an auspicious instrument." (Lao Tzu)
"If we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present." (Lao Tzu)
"If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place." (Lao Tzu)
"Integral wisdom involves a direct participation in every moment: the observer and the observed are dissolved in the light of pure awareness, and no mental concepts or attitudes are present to dim that light." (Lao Tzu)
"If you try to change it, you will ruin it.
Try to hold it, and you will lose it." (Lao Tzu)
"If you understand others you are smart.
If you understand yourself you are illuminated.
If you overcome others you are powerful.
If you overcome yourself you have strength.
If you know how to be satisfied you are rich.
If you can act with vigor, you have a will.
If you don't lose your objectives you can be long-lasting.
If you die without loss, you are eternal." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"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." (Lao Tzu)
"In order to contract a thing, one should surely expand it first.
In order to weaken, one will surely strengthen first.
In order to overthrow, one will surely exalt first.
‘In order to take, one will surely give first.’
This is called subtle wisdom.’" (Lao Tzu)
"In the end,
The treasure of life is missed by those who hold on
and gained by those who let go." (Lao Tzu)
"Is it not through her selflessness that she is able to perfect herself?" (Lao Tzu)
"It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Just remain in the center; watching.
And then forget that you are there." (Lao Tzu)
"Kindness in words creates confidence,
kindness in thinking creates profoundness,
kindness in giving creates love." (Lao Tzu)
"Knowing how to yield is strength" (Lao Tzu)
"Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightenment;
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self needs strength." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Let movement go on, and the condition of rest will gradually arise." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"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." (Lao Tzu)
"Loss is not as bad as wanting more." (Lao Tzu)
"Love is of all the passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart, and the senses." (Lao Tzu)
"Manage affairs before they are in a mess." (Lao Tzu)
"Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires." (Lao Tzu)
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." (Lao Tzu)
"Nature's way is simple and easy, but men prefer the intricated and artificial." (Lao Tzu)
"New beginnings are often described as painful endings." (Lao Tzu)
"Not knowing that one knows is best," (Lao Tzu)
"Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things." (Lao Tzu)
"Not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it." (Lao Tzu)
"Our enemies are not demons, but human beings like ourselves" (Lao Tzu)
"Perfection is the willingness to be imperfect." (Lao Tzu)
"Possessing rare treasures brings about harmful behavior." (Lao Tzu)
"Purity and stillness give the correct law to all under heaven." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Quietly go to work on your own self-awareness.
If you want to awaken all of humanity,
then awaken all of yourself.
If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world,
then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself.
Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation." (Lao Tzu)
"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment." (Lao Tzu)
"Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.
"Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm at the end
as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Simplicity has no name is free of desires.
Being free of desires it is tranquil.
And the world will be at peace of it's own accord." (Lao Tzu)
"Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world." (Lao Tzu)
"So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other;" (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"So it is that some things are increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being increased." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"So the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants." (Lao Tzu)
"Softness triumphs over hardness, feebleness over strength. What is more malleable is always superior over that which is immoveable. This is the principle of controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaptation." (Lao-Tzu)
"Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself." (Lao Tzu)
"Stop leaving and you will arrive.
Stop searching and you will see.
Stop running away and you will be found." (Lao Tzu)
"Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Take care with the end as you do with the beginning." (Lao Tzu)
"The best fighter is never angry." (Lao Tzu)
"The difficult problems in life always start off being simple. Great affairs always start off being small." (Lao Tzu, cca 400 BC)
"The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from taking precedence of others." (Lao Tzu)
"The flame that burns Twice as bright burns half as long." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The flexible are preserved unbroken. The bent become straight. The empty are filled. The exhausted become renewed. The poor are enriched. The rich are confounded. Therefore the sage embraces the one. Because he doesn't display himself, people can see his light. Because he has nothing to prove, people can trust his words. Because he doesn't know who he is, people recognize themselves in him. Because he has no goal in mind, everything he does succeeds. The old saying that the flexible are preserved unbroken is surely right! If you have truely attained wholeness, everything will flock to you." (Lao Tzu)
"The further one goes, the less one knows." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The hard and mighty lie beneath the ground
While the tender and weak dance on the breeze above." (Lao Tzu)
"The inner is foundation of the outer, the still is master of the restless
The Sage travels all day, yet never leaves his inner treasure" (Lao Tzu)
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." (Lao Tzu)
"The kingdom is a spirit-like thing, and cannot be got by active doing." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The knowledge of that unchanging rule produces a (grand) capacity and forbearance, and that capacity and forbearance lead to a community (of feeling with all things)." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The master dwells in the substantial and not in the superficial. Rests in the fruit and not in the flower." (Lao Tzu)
"The master leads
by emptying people's minds
and filling their cores,
by weakening their ambition
and toughening their resolve." (Lao Tzu)
"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." (Lao Tzu)
"The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms." (Lao Tzu)
"The road you can talk about is not the road you can walk on." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The ruler attains wholeness in the correct governance of the people." (Lao Tzu)
"The sage avoids excess, extravagance and indulgence." (Lao Tzu)
"The sage carries on his business without action and gives his teachings without words." (Lao Tzu)
"The sage has in the world an appearance of indecision, and keeps his mind in a state of indifference to all." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The sage produces without possessing, acts without expectations, and accomplishes without abiding in her accomplishments. It is precisely because she does not abide in them that they never leave her." (Lao Tzu)
"The Sage sees the world as an expansion of his own self
So what need has he to accumulate things?" (Lao Tzu)
"The scholar gains every day;
the man of Tao loses every day" (Lao Tzu)
"The skillful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or footsteps" (Lao Tzu)
"The slaying of multitudes should be mourned with sorrow. A victory should be celebrated with the funeral rite." (Lao Tzu)
"The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself." (Lao Tzu)
"The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Through this I know the advantage of taking no action." (Lao Tzu)
"The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
The unnameahle is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin of all particular things.
Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations." (Lao Tzu)
"The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth." (Lao Tzu)
"The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure.
The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete." (Lao Tzu)
"The way of heaven is to help and not harm." (Lao Tzu)
"The Way to do is to be." (Lao Tzu)
"The wise man acts without expectation of reward and completes his task without claiming merit." (Lao Tzu)
"The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"The Wise Man is square but not sharp, honest but not not malign, straight but not severe, bright but not dazzling." (Lao Tzu)
"There are few in the world who attain to the teaching without words, and the advantage arising from non-action." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"There are ways, but the Way is uncharted;
There are names but not nature in words:
Nameless indeed is the source of creation.
But things have a mother and she has a name." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"There is a time to live and a time to die, but never to reject the moment." (Lao Tzu)
"There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"There is no disaster greater than not being content; There is no misfortune greater than being covetous." (Lao Tzu)
"There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent." (Lao Tzu)
"There is no illusion greater than fear." (Lao Tzu)
"There is nothing better than to know that you don’t know.
Not knowing, yet thinking your know -
This is sickness.
Only when you are sick of being sick
Can you be cured." (Lao Tsu)
"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." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"Therefore he who would administer the kingdom, honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"This returning to their root is what we call the state of stillness; and that stillness may be called a reporting that they have fulfilled their appointed end." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching")
"Those who have tempered themselves are not afraid of encountering tigers." (Lao Tsu)
"Those who justify themselves do not convince." (Lao Tzu)
"These are notions of the mind, which is like a knife, always chipping away at the Tao, trying to render it graspable and manageable. But that which is beyond form is ungraspable, and that which is beyond knowing is unmanageable. There is, however, this consolation: She who lets go of the knife will find the Tao at her fingertips." (Lao Tzu)
"To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders." (Lao Tzu)
"To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day." (Lao Tzu)
"To be worn out is to be renewed." (Lao Tzu)
"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." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go" (Lao Tzu)
"True perfection seems imperfect,
yet it is perfectly itself.
True fullness seems empty,
yet it is fully present.
True straightness seems crooked.
True wisdom seems foolish.
True art seems artless." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching")
"Wasting energy to obtain rare objects only impedes one's growth." (Lao Tzu)
"Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness." (Lao Tzu)
"What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"What is is the was of what shall be." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching")
"What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly." (Lao Tzu)
"When all in the world understand beauty to be beautiful, then ugliness exists; when all understand goodness to be good, then evil exists." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching")
"When all in the world understand beauty to be beautiful, then ugliness exists; when all understand goodness to be good, then evil exists." (Lao Tzu)
"When goodness is lost there is morality." (Lao Tzu)
"When men lost their understanding of the Tao, intelligence came along, bringing hypocrisy with it." (Lao Tzu)
"When nothing is done, nothing is left undone." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"When people act overly nice, I always wonder about their motives." (Lao Tze)
"When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good, other things become bad." (Lao Tzu)
"When pure sincerity forms within, it is outwardly realized in other people's hearts." (Lao Tzu)
"When the great Too is forgotten,
virtue and morality arise.
When knowledge and intelligence are born,
the great pretense begins.
When there is no harmony within the family,
filial piety and devotion arise.
When the country is confused and in chaos,
loyal officials appear." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"When the Master governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.
If you don't trust people,
you make them untrustworthy.
The Master doesn't talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
the people say, "Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!" (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"When the work is done, and one's name is becoming distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven." (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching", cca 400 BC)
"When things flourish they decline." (Lao Tzu)
