Lao Tzu

“he who asserts his own views is not distinguished;”

“The getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):—this is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.”

“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.”

“And whether a man dispassionatelySees to the core of lifeOr passionatelySees the surfaceThey are essentially the same”

“not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder.”

“not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves;”

“a skillful soldier is not violent, an able fighter does not rage, a mighty conqueror does not give battle, a great commander is a humble man”

“many historians contend that Laozi actually lived in the 4th century BC, which was the period of Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States Period, while others contend he was a mythical figure. Laozi was credited with”

“He who is in harmony with the Taois like a newborn child.Its bones are soft, its muscles are weak,but its grip is powerful.It doesn't know about the unionof male and female,yet its penis can stand erect,so intense is its vital power.It can scream its head off all day,yet it never becomes hoarse,so complete is its harmony.The Master's power is like this.He lets all things come and goeffortlessly, without desire.He never expects results;thus he is never disappointed.He is never disappointed;thus his spirit never grows old.”

“The gentlest thing in the worldovercomes the hardest thing in the world.That which has no substanceenters where there is no space.This shows the value of non-action.Teaching without words,performing without actions:that is the Master's way.”

“Do you want to improve the world?I don't think it can be done.The world is sacred.It can't be improved.If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.There is a time for being ahead,a time for being behind;a time for being in motion,a time for being at rest;a time for being vigorous,a time for being exhausted;a time for being safe,a time for being in danger.The Master sees things as they are,without trying to control them.She lets them go their own way,and resides at the center of the circle.”

“The Tao doesn't take sides;it gives birth to both good and evil.The Master doesn't take sides;she welcomes both saints and sinners.The Tao is like a bellows:it is empty yet infinitely capable.The more you use it, the more it produces;the more you talk of it, the less you understand.Hold on to the center.”

“Thus Spoke Zarathustra (German: Also sprach Zarathustra, sometimes translated Thus Spake Zarathustra), subtitled A Book for All and None (Ein Buch für Alle und Keinen), is a written work by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885. Much of the work deals with ideas such as the "eternal recurrence of the same", the parable on the "death of God", and the "prophecy" of the Overman, which were first introduced in The Gay Science.Described by Nietzsche himself as "the deepest ever written", the book is a dense and esoteric treatise on philosophy and morality, featuring as protagonist a fictionalized Zarathustra. A central irony of the text is that the style of the Bible is used by Nietzsche to present ideas of his which fundamentally oppose Judaeo-Christian morality and tradition.”

“it produces them and does not claim them as its own;”

“Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes it law from the Tao. The law of the Tao is its being what it is.”

“We try to grasp it, and do not get hold of it, and we name it 'the Subtle.”

“We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.”

“We look at it, and we do not see it, and we name it 'the Equable.”

“If lightning is the anger of the gods, then the gods are concerned mostly about trees.”

“If we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold.”

“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.”

“The skilful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or footsteps”

“Therefore the sufficiency of contentment is an enduring and unchanging sufficiency.”

“no fault greater than the wish to be getting.”

“no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot;”

“There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition;”

“Simplicity without a name Is free from all external aim.”

“Therefore a wise prince, marching the whole day, does not go far from his baggage waggons.”

“stillness, the ruler of movement.”

“Gravity is the root of lightness;”

“Its admirable words can purchase honor; (its) admirable deeds can raise their performer above others.”

“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.”

“All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is;”

“Every journey begins with a single step.”

“he who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged;”

“he who is self-conceited has no superiority allowed to him.”

“Heaven which by it is bright and pure;”

“Shrinking looked they like those who wade through a stream in winter;”

“He who feels puncturedMust once have been a bubble,He who feels unarmedMust have carried arms,He who feels belittledMust have been consequential,He who feels deprivedMust have had privilege.”

“The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness.”

“Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.”

“الأراضى المجاورة، قريبةٌ بحيث إنّ أىّ إنسانٍ، يستطيع سماع نباح الكلاب،و صياح الديكة عبر الطريق. إلا أن الناس هنا، يهرَمون، و يموتون، دون أن يتبادلوا كلمةَ واحدةً مع جيرانهم.”

“So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other;”

“What is a good man but a bad man's teacher. What is a bad man but a good man's job.”

“If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.”

“He who talks more is sooner exhausted.”

“Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him, and yet that person is preserved.”

“Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.”

“If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.”

“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.”