Lao Tze Quotes

Bring us back again into right and eternal relationship with Himself. This required that our sins be disposed of satisfactorily, that a full reconciliation be effected and the way opened for us to return again into conscious communion with God and to live again in the Presence as before. Then by His prevenient working within us He moves us to return. This first comes to our notice when our restless hearts feel a yearning for the Presence of God and we say within ourselves, "I will arise and go to my Father." That is the first step, and as the Chinese sage Lao-tze has said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step. ~ A.W. Tozer

To only responsible choice I can make is to be love and happiness." Vincellent
"Love the world as you love yourself".Lao Tze
"The next step in mans evolution will be the survival of the wisest. ~ Deepak Chopra

Colour's five hues from th' eyes their sight will take;
Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make;
The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste;
The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste
Make mad the mind; and objects rare and strange,
Sought for, men's conduct will to evil change. ~ Lao-Tzu

Its gate, from which at first they issued forth, ~ Lao Tzu

When a person puts on a show, trying to appear great, their mediocrity is soon exposed. ~ Lao-Tzu

Violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself. ~ Lao-Tzu

206. "Let nature take its course. By letting each thing act in accordance with its own nature, everything that needs to be done gets done." ~ ~ Lao-Tzu

It is easy to maintain a situation while it is still secure;
It is easy to deal with a situation before symptoms develop;
It is easy to break a thing when it is yet brittle;
It is easy to dissolve a thing when it is yet minute.

Deal with a thing while it is still nothing;
Keep a thing in order before disorder sets in.

A tree that can fill the span of a man's arms
Grows from a downy tip;
A terrace nine storeys high
Rises from hodfuls of earth;
A journey of a thousand miles
Starts from beneath one's feet.

Whoever does anything to it will ruin it;
Whoever lays hold of it will lose it.

Therefore the sage, because he does nothing, never ruins anything;
And, because he does not lay hold of anything, loses nothing.

In their enterprises the people
Always ruin them when on the verge of success.
Be as careful at the end as at the beginning
And there will be no ruined enterprises.

Therefore the sage desires not to desire
And does not value goods which are hard to come by;
Learns to be without learning
And makes good the mistakes of the multitude
In order to help the myriad creatures to be natural and to refrain from daring to act. ~ Lao Tzu

He who defines himself can't know who he really is.
He who has power over others can't empower himself. ~ Lao Tzu

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. ~ Lao-Tzu

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. ~ Lao-Tzu

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment. ~ Lao-Tzu

Apprentices Needed, Not Disciples
For many, the knowledge of a Jesus, a Lao-tzu, a Buddha, or a Gandhi is complete and unassailable. But we do them and their vision a disservice when we follow them rather than using what they have taught to build upon as we strive toward our goal of a better society. ~ William Coperthwaite

Life must be poetry, a song, a dance, like a flower on the roadside, blossoming for no one in particular, but spreading its fragrance in the wind, and sending it anywhere. ~ Lao-Tzu

He who (tries to) govern a state by his wisdom is a scourge to it; while he who does not (try to) do so is a blessing. ~ Lao-Tzu

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. ~ Lao-Tzu

If lightning is the anger of the gods, then the gods are concerned mostly about trees. ~ Lao-Tzu

Sri Krishna's message is the message of anyone who comes from far away. His message is the same as Buddha, Lao Tsu, Bodhidharma, Milarepa, Padmasambhava. ~ Frederick Lenz

Calm and repose are what he prizes; victory (by force of arms) is to him undesirable. ~ Lao-Tzu

The Emperor of China once sent a messenger to the wise man Lao-tsu to ask how he should rule the kingdom. Lao-tsu replied that he should rule the kingdom in the way you would cook a small fish. How do you cook a small fish? In the steady, cautious, caring way you undress a woman. ~ Chloe Thurlow

What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body (which I call myself); if I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me? ~ Lao-Tzu

When the people have many weapons, the nation grows more benighted. ~ Lao-Tzu

Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech. ~ Lao-Tzu

If you give evil nothing to oppose, then virtue will return by itself. ~ Lao-Tzu

They shall wear elegant and ornamented robes, carry a sharp sword at their girdle, pamper themselves in eating and drinking, and have a superabundance of property and wealth; - such (princes) may be called robbers and boasters. ~ Lao-Tzu

If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you will not shine. If you boast, you will have no merit. If you promote yourself, you will have no success. ~ Lao-Tzu

Its outer fringe is all that we shall see. ~ Lao-Tzu

I don't know! Nobody has ever known. Why would Jesus have remained unmarried if he had known the secret? He knew the secret of the kingdom of God, but he did not know the secret of remaining happy in marriage. He remained unmarried. Mahavira, Lao Tzu Chuang Tzu, they all remained unmarried for the simple reason that there is no secret; otherwise these people would have discovered it. They could discover the ultimate - marriage is not such a big thing, it is very shallow - they even fathomed God, but they could not fathom marriage. ~ Rajneesh

The violent and strong do not die their natural death. I will make this the basis of my teaching. ~ Lao Tzu

The tree too thick to embrace
emerges from a seedling.
A nine-storey tower rises from a brick.
A thousand-mile journey begins under your feet. ~ Lao-Tzu

The skilful speaker says nothing that can be found fault with or blamed; ~ Lao-Tzu

When we can lay hold of the Tao of old to direct the things of the present day, and are able to know it as it was of old in the beginning, this is called (unwinding) the clue of Tao. ~ Lao-Tzu

Let him keep his mouth open, and (spend his breath) in the promotion of his affairs, and all his life there will be no safety for him. ~ Lao-Tzu

I wanted a good place to settle:
Cold Mountain would be safe.
Light wind in a hidden pine -
Listen close - the sound gets better.
Under it a gray haired man
Mumbles along reading Huang and Lao.
For ten years I havn't gone back home
I've even forgotten the way by which I came. ~ Gary Snyder

Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity. ~ Lao-Tzu

Hence the sage puts away excessive effort, extravagance, and easy indulgence. ~ Lao-Tzu

The Tao is hidden, and has no name; but it is the Tao which is skilful at imparting (to all things what they need) and making them complete. ~ Lao-Tzu

Big trees grow from sprouts, tall buildings rise from mounds of earth; the loftiest heights start at your feet. ~ Lao-Tzu

Great talents mature slowly. ~ Lao-Tzu

(Those who) possessed in a lower degree those attributes (sought how) not to lose them, and therefore they did not possess them (in fullest measure). ~ Lao Tzu

I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any. ~ Lao-Tzu

Loss is not as bad as wanting more. ~ Lao-Tzu

And, er, these stories about you..."

"Oh, all true. Most of them. A bit of exaggeration, but mostly true."

"The one about the Citadel in Muntab and the Pash and the fish bone?"

"Oh, yes."

"But how did you get in where half a dozen armed and trained men couldn't even - ?"

"I am a little man and I carry a broom," said Lu-Tze simply. "Everyone has some mess that needs clearing up. What harm is a man with a broom?"

"What? And that was it?"

"Well, the rest was a matter of cookery, really. The Pash was not a good man, but he was a glutton for his fish pie."

"No martial arts?" said Lobsang.

"Oh, always a last resort. History needs shepherds, not butchers."

"Do you know okidoki?"

"Just a lot of bunny-hops."

"Shittake?"

"If I wanted to thrust my hand into hot sand I would go to the seaside."

"Upsidazi?"

"A waste of good bricks."

"No kando?"

"You made that one up. ~ Terry Pratchett

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. ~ Lao-Tzu

Very few are aware of the highest. Then comes that which they know and love, ~ Lao-Tzu