Lao Tzu Quotes

Lao Tzu Quotes and Sayings

Though the Uncarved Block is small,
it is not inferior to anything under heaven.
If you are content
You will always have enough.
Give up shrewdness, discard gain,
and thieves and robbers will disappear.
A truly good person functions without ulterior motive.
A moralist acts out of private desires.
The True Person does not have an individual heart
but uses the heart of the people.
There is no disaster greater than attacking and finding no enemy.
The way of heaven is to benefit and not to harm.
The way of the True Reason is to assist without striving
in the unfolding of the story of the earth.
The best leader is one whose existence is barely known by the people.
Next comes one whom they love and praise.
Next comes one they fear.
Next comes one they defy.
A skilled warrior does not rush ahead of others
A skilled fighter does not make a show of anger.
A skilled victor does not seek revenge.
A skilled employer does not act superior.
A tree as big as a person’s embrace begins as a tiny shoot.
A terrace nine stories high rises from a shovelful of earth.
A journey of a thousand miles begins under your feet.
The hoarder will suffer great loss.
Be content with what you have and you will not be disgraced.
Know when to stop and you will be preserved from danger.
Only in this way will you long endure.
Those who look only at themselves see little.
Those who justify themselves are not distinguished.
Those who brag have no merit.
The work of prideful people will not endure.