Lao Tzu
Laozi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laozi
Seek not happiness too greedily, and be not fearful of happiness.
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
He who knows does not speak.
He who speaks does not know.
He who knows others is wise;
He who know himself is enlightened.
He who loves the world as his body may be entrusted with the empire.
I have three treasures. Guard and keep them:
The first is deep love,
The second is frugality,
And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the world.
Because of deep love, one is courageous.
Because of frugality, one is generous.
Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world.
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
The best [man] is like water.
Water is good; it benefits all things and does not compete with them.
It dwells in [lowly] places that all disdain.
This is why it is so near to Tao.
People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.
The more laws and order are made prominent,
The more thieves and robbers there will be.
The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.
Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.
The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure.
The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete.
There is no calamity greater than lavish desires.
There is no greater guilt than discontentment.
And there is not greater disaster than greed.
To be worn out is to be renewed.
To have little is to possess.
To have plenty is to be perplexed.
To know that you do not know is the best.
To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease.
To produce things and to rear them,
To produce, but not to take possession of them,
To act, but not to rely on one's own ability,
To lead them, but not to master them -
This is called profound and secret virtue.
When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty,
There arises the recognition of ugliness.
When they all know the good as good,
There arises the recognition of evil.
When armies are mobilized and issues are joined,
The man who is sorry over the fact will win.
When the highest type of men hear Tao,
They diligently practice it.
When the average type of men hear Tao,
They half believe in it.
When the lowest type of men hear Tao,
They laugh heartily at it.
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
The journey of a thousand leagues begins from beneath your feet.
The good man is the teacher of the bad,
And the bad is the material from which the good may learn.
He who does not value the teacher,
Or greatly care for the material,
Is greatly deluded although he may be learned.
Such is the essential mystery.
A good manager is best when people barely know that he exists. Not so good when people obey and acclaim him. Worse when they despise him.
Arms are instruments of ill omen. . . . When one is compelled to use them, it is best to do so without relish. There is no glory in victory, and to glorify it despite this is to exult in the killing of men. . . . When great numbers of people are killed, one should weep over them with sorrow. When victorious in war, one should observe mourning rites.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
The softest things in the world to overcome the hardest things in the world.
Learning builds daily accumulation, but the practice of Tao builds daily simplification. Simplify and simplify, until all contamination from relative, contradictory thinking is eliminated. Then one does nothing, yet nothing is left undone. One who wins the world does so by not meddling with it. One who meddles with the world loses it.
He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
Conquering others takes force, conquering yourself is true strength.
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
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 leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.
A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.
All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small.
Ambition has one heel nailed in well, though she stretch her fingers to touch the heavens.
An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox.
Because of a great love, one is courageous.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Born to be wild - live to outgrow it.
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.
Clay is molded to form a cup, But it is on its non-being that the utility of the cup depends. Doors and windows are cut out to make a room, But it is on its non-being that the utility of the room depends. Therefore turn being into advantage, and turn non-being into utility.
Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding.
Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
From of old the things that have acquired unity are these: Heaven by unity has become clear; Earth by unity has become steady; The Spirit by unity has become spiritual; The Valley by unity has become full; All things by unity have come into existence.
From wonder into wonder existence opens.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it.
Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it.
Great acts are made up of small deeds.
Great indeed is the sublimity of the Creative, to which all beings owe their beginning and which permeates all heaven.
He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.
He who knows others is clever; He who knows himself has discernment.
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 obtains has little. He who scatters has much.
Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.
If the Great Way perishes there will morality and duty. When cleverness and knowledge arise great lies will flourish. When relatives fall out with one another there will be filial duty and love. When states are in confusion there will be faithful servants.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
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.
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.
In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.
It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins.
It is the Vague and Elusive. Meet it and you will not see its head. Follow it and you will not see its back.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
Know they thyself, presume not God to scan. The proper study of mankind is man.
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.
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.
Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.
Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
Nature is not human hearted.
Of all that is good, sublimity is supreme. Succeeding is the coming together of all that is beautiful. Furtherance is the agreement of all that is just. Perseverance is the foundation of all actions.
People in their handlings of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure.
Silence is a source of great strength.
Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.
The career of a sage is of two kinds: He is either honored by all in the world, Like a flower waving its head, Or else he disappears into the silent forest.
The higher the sun ariseth, the less shadow doth he cast; even so the greater is the goodness, the less doth it covet praise; yet cannot avoid its rewards in honours.
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 people are hungry: It is because those in authority eat up too much in taxes.
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 softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.
The supreme excellence is not to win a hundred victories in a hundred battles. The supreme excellence is to subdue the armies of your enemies without even having to fight them.
The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who 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 know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
To lead people walk behind them.
To lead people, walk beside them... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate... When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!'
To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.
To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; Not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.
To see things in the seed, that is genius.
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...
When a nation is filled with strife, then do patriots flourish.
When the best leader's work is done the people say, "We did it ourselves."
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.