Lao Zi:
Also called: Lao Tzu, Lao ZI, Laozi, Lao Tse.
(Originating from (jiaxiang) Henan, Zhoukou, Lüyi ).
Chinese philosopher, usually placed in the 6th century BC, during the Period of Spring and Autumn, 604 BC. – 507 B.C. He is, according to Taoism itself, the main founder of Taoism. He may have lived later, in the 5th or 4th century BC, during the Period of the Warring States. It is also possible that Lao Zi refers to two or more masters or a school of thought.
He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.
He who knows the people has understanding; he who knows himself is enlightened.
Care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner.
Be honest with honest people. Also, be honest with dishonest people. This is how honesty is established.
It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
Watch your thoughts; They become words.
Watch your words; They become actions.
Watch your actions; They become habits.
Watch your habits; They become character.
Watch your character; It becomes your destiny
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.
If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich. If you stay in the center and embrace death with your whole heart, you will endure forever.
When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.
The wise repay evil with good.
Ambition has one heel nailed in well, though she stretch her fingers to touch the heavens.
The person of superior integrity does not insist upon his integrity. For this reason, he has integrity. The person of inferior integrity never loses sight of his integrity; For this reason, he lacks integrity.
Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.
A man is born gentle and weak; at his death he is hard and stiff. All things, including the grass and trees, are soft and pliable in life; dry and brittle in death. Stiffness is thus a companion of death; flexibility a companion of life. An army that cannot yield will be defeated. A tree that cannot bend will crack in the wind. The hard and stiff will be broken; the soft and supple will prevail.
Failure is the foundation of success, and the means by which it is achieved.
The best fighter is never angry.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears. If the student is really ready, the teacher disappears.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profundity. Kindness in giving creates love.
He who is not attached to anything has no loss to fear.
Freedom from desire leads to inner peace.
The more laws there are, the more thieves.
Even if there are armour and weapons, don’t let anyone take them out.
Those who swing the axe instead of the carpenter do not have much chance of getting off unscathed.
There is benefit to be gained from something, but we only find something useful in the void.
Someone who is quick to agree is rarely believed.
Those who are quick to make promises certainly cannot be trusted.
A pot’s usefulness comes from its emptiness.
To the mind that is silent, the whole universe surrenders.
Those who amass many treasures have much to lose.
Address something before it is a problem. Create order before chaos sets in.
The truth sounds like its opposite.
Nature is in no hurry and yet everything comes together.
Take advantage of what is, but see the benefit of what is not.
If you leave murky water alone, it will naturally become clear.
If you want to grab something, you have to let go of it for a moment. If you want to let go of something, you have to grab it very briefly.
Silence we learn only in the course of our lives; speaking we learn earlier.
Treat good people well. Treat non-good people well too. This is how goodness comes about.
If you look closely at the frog’s tail, you will see that it has none.
All great things come from the unimportant. That is why the sage never strives for the great. That way, he can achieve great things.
The greatest revelation is the silence.
The bright road seems dark, the flat road seems bumpy, simple truth seems impure.
Understanding others is knowledge; understanding yourself is enlightenment.
Act without expectation.
