Lao Tzu Quotations

Those who delight in the slaughter of people will
never thrive among all that dwell under heaven.
 

Give up shrewdness, discard gain,
and thieves and robbers will disappear.
 

Handle the difficult while it is still easy.
Cultivate the great while it is still small.
 

All under heaven will return to the Tao
as brooks and streams flow home to the sea.
 

The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
 

Many words lead to exhaustion.
Better to hold fast to your centre.
 

There is no greater offence than harbouring desires.
There is no greater disaster than discontent.
There is no greater misfortune than wanting more.
 

Do not look only at yourself, and you will see much.
Do not justify yourself, and you will be distinguished.
Do not brag, and you will have merit.
Do not be prideful, and your work will endure.
 

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.
 

Whoever wishes to take over the world will not succeed.
The world is a sacred vessel and nothing should be done to it.
Whoever tries to tamper with it will mar it.
Whoever tries to grab it will lose it.
 

The ancients who practised the Tao
did not use it to enlighten the people,
but rather to assist them in gaining simplicity.
The reason people are difficult to govern
is because they are too clever.
 

The True Person does not harm the people.
Whenever there is no harm done,
that power flows into the common Virtue.