Inspiring Quotes by Laozi (Lao Tzu)

When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'

The greatest conqueror wins without struggle.

If the teacher is not respected and the student not cared for, confusion will arise, however clever one is.

When armies are mobilized and issues joined, the man who is sorry over the fact will win.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him.

To know when you have enough is to be rich beyond measure.

Guard the senses and life is ever full...always be busy and life is beyond hope.

Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the source of being.

All things in the world come from being. And being comes from non-being.

Some lose yet gain, others gain and yet lose.

Knowing how to yield is strength.

A good traveller leaves no tracks.

The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

The world belongs to those who let go.

He who defends with love will be secure; Heaven will save him, and protect him with love.

My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. --General Montgomery.

Every step is on the path.

Highly evolved people have their own conscience as pure law.

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.

If lightning is the anger of the gods, then the gods are concerned mostly about trees.

The great Tao is universal like a flood… All creatures depend on it, and it denies nothing to anyone. It does its work, but it makes no claims for itself. It clothes and feeds all, but it does not lord it over them.

To live till you die
Is to live long enough.

A man who knows how little he knows is well, a man who knows how much he knows is sick. If, when you see the symptoms, you can tell, Your cure is quick.
A sound man knows that sickness makes him sick and before he catches it his cure is quick.

Тhe gentle overcomes the rigid.
The slow overcomes the fast.
The weak overcomes the strong.

The more laws and restrictions there are,
The poorer people become.
...
The more rules and regulations,
The more thieves and robbers.

Any good person who is motivated to attain awareness of the whole truth should follow the Universal Way to calm his mind and harmonize it with all aspects of life.

When I let go of who I am, I become who I might be.

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

If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you will not shine.

Stillness and tranquility set things in order in the universe.

When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.

To know and to think we know not, is the crown. Not to know and to think we know, is the affliction.

The hard and mighty lie beneath the ground
While the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.

There is
a time to live
and a time to die
but never to reject the moment.

Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Other call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.

Great indeed is the sublimity of the Creative, to which all beings owe their beginning and which permeates all heaven.

Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.

To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go.

The way to do is to be.

There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.

If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.

Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.

By letting go it all gets done.

Two names emerge from a single origin and both are called mysterious.

The best of all leaders is the one who helps people so that eventually they don't need him.

To speak little is natural. Therefore a gale does not blow a whole morning nor does a downpour last a whole day.

So the unwanting soul
sees what's hidden,
and the ever-wanting soul
sees only what it wants.

Love is a decision -- not an emotion!

Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.

If you want to know me, look inside your heart.

Chase after money and security
And your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
And you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.
Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others.

If you want to govern the people,
You must place yourself below them.
If you want to lead people,
You must learn how to follow them.

If you are untrustworthy, people will not trust you.

The Way to do is to be.

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.

Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start
with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best
leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will
say 'We have done this ourselves.

To know that you do not know is the best.
To think you know when you do not is a disease.
Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it.

When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

As long as we have hope, we have direction, the energy to move, and the map to move by.

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.

Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.

It is not wise to rush about. If too much energy is used, exhaustion follows. This is not the way of Tao.

With no desire, at rest and still, all things go right as of their will.

Have patience. Wait until the mud settles and the water is clear. Remain unmoving until right action arises by itself.

Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here.

If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled.

Those who have weak faith themselves cannot arouse faith in others.

We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.

Know that you don't know. That is superior.

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.

Nature is not human hearted.

Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.

To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders.

The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.

Whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. What is soft is strong.

If you want to awaken all of humanity, awaken all of yourself.

Stop thinking, and end your problems.

Freedom from desire leads to inner peace.

The best fighter is never angry.

The truest sayings are paradoxical.

The world is ruled by letting things take their course.

Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.

Without desire there is stillness, and the world settles by itself.

Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

The soft overcomes the hard. The slow overcomes the fast.

All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power.

To lead the people, walk behind them.

Time is a created thing. To say I don't have time, is like saying, I don't want to.