Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching

Ancient Chinese books were commonly referenced by the name of their real or supposed author, in this case the "Old Master" Lao Tzu.

As such, the Tao Te Ching is also sometimes referred to as the Laozi, especially in Chinese sources.

The following are some of the many worthwhile quotes from the text:

There was something undifferentiated and yet complete, which existed before Heaven and Earth. Soundless and formless, it depends on nothing and does not change. It operates everywhere and is free from danger. It may be considered the mother of the universe. I do not know its name;

I call it Tao.

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want

If you are depressed, you are living in the past.

If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

If you are at peace, you are living in the present

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve

One who is too insistent on his own views, finds few to agree with him

Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends

The heart that gives, gathers.

Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back. (it is) the only path to serenity.

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

Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes it law from the Tao. The law of the Tao is its being what it is.

A leader is best

When people barely know he exists

Of a good leader, who talks little,

When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,

They will say, “We did this ourselves.”

The people suffer from famine because of the multitude of taxes consumed by their superiors.

Only when the state is in disorder is there a need for patriotism.

Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.

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?”

Nature does not play favourites, it regards its creations without sentimentality. Therefore the wise person also acts in this way.

When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you

To lead people walk behind them

Without stirring abroad, One can know the whole world; Without looking out of the window One can see the way of heaven. The further one goes, the less one knows

Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success

(and I thought I was original with “in times of crisis, when other people just see problems, I see opportunities”)