Quotes by Lao Tzu
Last Updated: 24 Feb 2025
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
“An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox.”
“Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy.”
“At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.”
“Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it.”
“He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.”
“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”
“He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted.”
“He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.”
“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”
“He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.”
“Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.”
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
“If you would take, you must first give; this is the beginning of intelligence.”
“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.”
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.”
“Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.”
“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.”
“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart, and the senses.”
“Man's enemies are not demons, but human beings like himself.”
“Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.”
“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.”
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.”
“One who is too insistent on his own views finds few to agree with him.”
“Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.”
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.”
“The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be.”
“The power of intuitive understanding will protect you from harm until the end of your days.”
“The sage does not hoard. The more he helps others, the more he benefits himself. The more he gives to others, the more he gets himself. The Way of Heaven does one good but never does one harm. The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete.”
“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”
“The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.”
“The wicked leader is he whom the people despise. The good leader is he whom the people revere. The great leader is he whom the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'”
“The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.”
“The words of truth are always paradoxical.”
“Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge.”
“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”
“Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained.”
“Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good.”
“When a nation is filled with strife, then do patriots flourish.”
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
“When the best leader's work is done, the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'”
“When the work is done, and one's name is becoming distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven.”
“When virtue is lost, benevolence appears; when benevolence is lost, right conduct appears; when right conduct is lost, expedience appears. Expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder.”
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”
“Become totally empty. Quiet the restlessness of the mind. Only then will you witness everything unfolding from emptiness.”
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
“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.”
“Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.”
“Free from desire, you realize the mystery caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.”
“He who defends with love will be secure; Heaven will save him and protect him with love.”
“Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.”
“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.”
“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.”
“If you search everywhere, yet cannot find what you are seeking, it is because what you seek is already in your possession.”
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
“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.”
“Love is of all the passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart, and the senses.”
“Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.”
“Respond to anger with virtue. Deal with difficulties while they are still easy. Handle the great while it is still small.”
“Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see. Stop running away and you will be found.”
“The difficult problems in life always start off being simple. Great affairs always start off being small.”
“The hard and mighty lie beneath the ground while the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.”
“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.”
“The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves.”
“The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms.”
“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”
“The Wise Man is square but not sharp, honest but not malign, straight but not severe, bright but not dazzling.”
“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.”
“To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.”
“True words are not fancy. Fancy words are not true. The good do not debate. Debaters are not good.”
“Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Have the patience to wait! Be still and allow the mud to settle.”
“Water is fluid, soft & yielding, but water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. What is soft is strong.”
“Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness.”
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”
“Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here.”