Lao Tzu

“Love is of all the passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart, and the senses.”

“The hard and mighty lie beneath the groundWhile the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.”

“It is the child that sees the primordial secret of Nature and it is the child of ourselves we return to. the child within us is simple and daring enough to live the Secret.”

“Just remain in the center; watching. And then forget that you are there.”

“My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice.Yet your intellect will never grasp them,and if you try to practice them,you'll fail.My teachings are older than the world.How can you grasp their meaning?If you want to know me,Look inside your heart.”

“As to the roaming of sages,They move in utter emptiness,Let their minds meander in the great nothingness;They run beyond conventionAnd go through where there is no gateway.They listen to the soundlessAnd look at the formless,They are not constrained by societyAnd not bound to its customs.- Lao-tzu”

“When goodness is lost there is morality.”

“Those who understand others are intelligent Those who understand themselves are enlightened Those who overcome others have strength Those who overcome themselves are powerful Those who know contentment are wealthy Those who proceed vigorously have willpower Those who do not lose their base endure Those who die but do not perish have longevity”

“Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see. Stop running away and you will be found.”

“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.”

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

“True words aren't eloquent;eloquent words aren't true.Wise men don't need to prove their point;men who need to prove their point aren't wise.The Master has no possessions.The more he does for others,the happier he is.The more he gives to others,the wealthier he is.”

“Not-knowing is true knowledge.Presuming to know is a disease.First realize that you are sick;then you can move toward health.”

“Whoever is planted in the Taowill not be rooted up.Whoever embraces the Taowill not slip away.Her name will be held in honorfrom generation to generation.Let the Tao be present in your lifeand you will become genuine.Let it be Present in your familyand your family will flourish.Let it be present in your countryand your country will be an example to all countries in the world.Let it be present in the universeand the universe will sing.How do I know this is true?by looking inside myself.”

“Give evil nothing to opposeand it will disappear by itself.”

“Without opening your door,you can open your heart to the world.Without looking out your window,you can see the essence of the Tao.The more you know,the less you understand.The Master arrives without leaving,sees the light without looking,achieves without doing a thing.”

“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.”

“In harmony with the Tao,the sky is clear and spacious,the earth is solid and full,all creatures flourish together,content with the way they are,endlessly repeating themselves,endlessly renewed.when man interferes with the Taothe sky becomes filthy,the earth becomes depleted,the equilibrium crumbles,creatures become extinct.”

“When there is no desire,all things are at peace.”

“Must you value what others value,avoid what others avoid?How ridiculous!”

“Success is as dangerous as failure.Hope is as hollow as fear.”

“Colors blind the eye Sounds deafen the ear.Flavors numb the taste.Thoughts weaken the mind.Desires wither the heart.”

“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 himselfcan'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.”

“When you accept yourself, the whole world accepts you.”

“The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms.”

“Fame or integrity: which is more important? Money or happiness: which is more valuable? Success or failure: which is more destructive? If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. 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.”

“To become learned, each day add something. To become enlightened, each day drop something.”

“Allow the heart to empty itself of all turmoil! Retrieve the utter tranquility of the mind from which you issued.Although all forms are dynamic,and we all grow and transform,each of us is compelled to return to our root. Our root is quietude.”

“It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him.”

“from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority.”

“from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged;”

“from self-assertion, and therefore he is distinguished;”

“He is free from self- display, and therefore he shines;”

“Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing (of humility), and manifests it to all the world.”

“There isa time to liveand a time to diebut never to reject the moment.”

“Would you like to save the world from the degradation and destruction it seems destined for? Then step away from shallow mass movements and 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.”

“The wise man does not lay up his own treasures.The more he gives to others,the more he has for his own.”

“The past has no power to stop youfrom being present now.Only your grievance aboutthe past can do that.What is grievance?The baggage of oldthought and emotion.”

“Water is fluid, soft & yielding but water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield ... what is soft is strong.”

“We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holdswhatever we want.”

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

“He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty" - Lao-tsu”

“Knowing others is Wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment”

“Countless words count less than the silent balance between yin and yang”

“When you are at one with loss, the loss is experienced willingly.”

“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.”

“Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.”

“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.”

“When men lost their understanding of the Tao, intelligence came along, bringing hypocrisy with it.”

“in the pursuit of knowledge: everyday something is added.in the pursuit of enlightenment:everyday something is dropped.”