Lao Tzu quotes

Lao Tzu was an ancient philosopher from China. He was the author of the Tao Te Ching ('Laozi') and he is generally considered to be the father of Taoism.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.

Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.

Stop thinking, and end your problems.

At the centre of your being, you have the answer: you know who you are, and you know what you want.

Silence is a source of great strength.

The best fighter is never angry.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

By letting go, it all gets done.

Act without expectation.

Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.

To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.

Loss is not as bad as wanting more.

Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habit.

Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.

Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.

One who is too insistent on his own views finds few to agree with him.

Great acts are made up of small deeds.

Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right here. Every goal is possible from here.

The Way to do is to be.

The wise man is one who knows what he does not know.

As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.

If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.

Perfection is the willingness to be imperfect.

Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see.

Stop running away and you will be found.

Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.

Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.

Every step is on the path.

The way of heaven is to help and not harm.

Be like water.

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.

“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, Tao Te Ching

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”

“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”

“A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.”

“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”

“If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.”

“The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know.”

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Embracing Tao, you become embraced.

Supple, breathing gently, you become reborn.

Clearing your vision, you become clear.

Nurturing your beloved, you become impartial.

Opening your heart, you become accepted.

Accepting the World, you embrace Tao.

Bearing and nurturing,

Creating but not owning,

Giving without demanding,

Controlling without authority,

This is love.”

― Laozi, The Teachings of Lao-Tzu: The Tao-Te Ching

“Close your mouth,

block off your senses,

blunt your sharpness,

untie your knots,

soften your glare,

settle your dust.

This is the primal identity.”

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching: A Literal Translation With an Introduction, Notes, and Commentary

“Love is a decision - not an emotion!”

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“A good traveler has no fixed plans

and is not intent upon arriving.

A good artist lets his intuition

lead him wherever it wants.

A good scientist has freed himself of concepts

and keeps his mind open to what is.

Thus the Master is available to all people

and doesn't reject anyone.

He is ready to use all situations

and doesn't waste anything.

This is called embodying the light.

What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?

What is a bad man but a good man's job?

If you don't understand this, you will get lost,

however intelligent you are.

It is the great secret.”

― Laozi, Tao Te Ching

“Success is as dangerous as failure.

Hope is as hollow as fear.”

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“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, The Way of Life

“Countless words

count less

than the silent balance

between yin and yang”

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching