Lao Tzu Sayings and Quotes

There is no disaster greater than attacking and finding no enemy.
 

Develop the strength of a man, but live as gently as a woman.
 

Everyone knows that the yielding overcomes the stiff,
and the soft overcomes the hard.
Yet no one applies this knowledge.
 

That which goes against the Tao will quickly pass away.
 

Giving life without claiming authority,
benefiting without demanding gratitude,
guiding without control.
This is called hidden Virtue.
 

In the pursuit of learning, every day something is added.
In the pursuit of the Tao, every day something is dropped.
 

The True Person avoids extremes, self-indulgence, and extravagance.
 

Weapons are not proper instruments for gentle people;
they use them only when they have no other choice.
Peace and quiet are what they value.
They do not glory in victory.
 

Why are the people starving?
Because their leaders eat up too much of the tax-grain;
that is why the people are starving.
 

The True Person governs by emptying the heart of desire
and filling the belly with food,
weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.
 

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.