Are you in search of Lao Tzu Quotes? We have made a list of inspirational Lao Tzu quotes that will inspire you to believe in simplicity and your true self. His teachings emphasized simplicity, humility, and the idea that less is often more.
Lao Tzu’s words still continue to inspire and resonate with people to this day, and his quotes are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago. Whether you are looking for wisdom, guidance, or just a touch of inspiration, Lao Tzu’s quotes offer something for everyone. You can also read our collection of Sun Tzu quotes to master the Art of War.
Who is Lao Tzu?
Lao Tzu was a 6th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and writer. He wrote the Tao Te Ching, a famous text of Chinese philosophy and religion. The Tao Te Ching is an 81-verse poem that describes the Tao, or “the way,” and its link to human nature and governance. The poem is well-known for highlighting simplicity, naturalness, and the concept that less is more.
He is regarded as the founder of Taoism, a Chinese philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes living in accordance with the universe’s Tao (or “Way”). As per tradition, Lao Tzu was an elder contemporary of Confucius who served as a librarian in the royal archives.
Here are some interesting Facts about Lao Tzu:
- The name “Lao Tzu” means “old master” and is an honorific title given to him.
- In Taoism, he is regarded as a god, and his birthday is commemorated as a religious festival in various regions of China.
- There is no definite historical proof of Lao Tzu’s existence, and it is likely that Tao Te Ching is a composite of numerous individuals or a legendary character.
Inspiring Lao Tzu Quotes for Enhancing Your Life
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.
When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty, there arises the recognition of ugliness. When they all know the good as good, there arises the recognition of evil.
To avoid disappointment, know what is sufficient. To avoid trouble, know when to stop. If you are able to do this, you will last a long time.
It is better to do one’s own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins.
Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small.
Be still. Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.
Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.
Chanting is no more holy than listening to the murmur of a stream, counting prayer beads no scarier than simply breathing, and religious robes no more spiritual than work clothes.
When wealth and honors lead to arrogance, this brings its evil on itself.
Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.
To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.
Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish – too much handling will spoil it.
All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power.
The Wise Man is square but not sharp, honest but not malign, straight but not severe, and bright but not dazzling.
To understand the limitation of things, desire them.
Be still. Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.
It is better to leave a vessel unfilled than to attempt to carry it when it is full.
If the people must be ever fearful of death, then there will always be an executioner.
When there is no desire, all things are at peace.
Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.
There is a time to live and a time to die but never reject the moment.
Our enemies are not demons, but human beings like ourselves.
There is no disaster greater than not being content; there is no misfortune greater than being covetous.
Take care with the end as you do with the beginning.
One who is too insistent on his own views finds few to agree with him.
Ambition has one heel nailed in well, though she stretches her fingers to touch the heavens.
The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms.
A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.
When you accept yourself, the whole world accepts you.
The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
The way of heaven is to help and not harm.
Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.
To know what 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.
Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.
He who defends with love will be secure; Heaven will save him, and protect him with love.
The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
To become learned, each day add something. To become enlightened, each day drops something.
Just remain in the center; watching. And then forget that you are there.
Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.
Love is of all the passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart, and the senses.
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.
A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.
In the end, the treasure of life is missed by those who hold on and gained by those who let go.
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
One who is too insistent on his own views finds few to agree with him.
To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go.
Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. When we don’t see the self as self, what do we have to fear?
If lightning is the anger of the gods, then the gods are concerned mostly about trees.
Do not conquer the world with force, for force only causes resistance. Thorns spring up when an army passes. Years of misery follow a great victory. Do only what needs to be done without using violence.
Is it not through her selflessness that she is able to perfect herself?
Love is of all the passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart, and the senses.
When the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready… The teacher will disappear.
Just remain in the center; watching. And then forget that you are there.
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
If you are depressed you are living in the past.
Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.
The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Through this, I know the advantage of taking no action.
The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be.
Wasting energy to obtain rare objects only impedes one’s growth.
The power of intuitive understanding will protect you from harm until the end of your days.
Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.
Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?
If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.
The ruler attains wholeness in the correct governance of the people.
Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.
He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.
If you want to lead them you must place yourself behind them.
Simplicity has no name and is free of desires. Being free of desires it is tranquil. And the world will be at peace of its own accord.
The soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong.
Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness.
Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.
When there is silence one finds the anchor of the universe within oneself.
If we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold.
Everyone will respect you when you are content to be yourself and don’t compare or compete.
Lao Tzu’s Quotes On Life, Happiness & Love
The master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. He prefers what is within to what is without.
Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.
He who acts spoils; he who grasps, let’s slip.
If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind.
The best of all leaders is the one who helps people so that eventually they don’t need him.
The master dwells in the substantial and not in the superficial. Rests in the fruit and not in the flower.
What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, and compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.
To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.
Become totally empty. Quiet the restlessness of the mind only then will you witness everything unfolding from emptiness.
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.
What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher? What is a bad man’s but a good man’s job?
If I had just a little bit of wisdom I should walk the great path and fear only straying from it.
While the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.
Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.
If you do not value rare treasures, you will stop others from stealing.
A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day.
There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.
Knowledge is a treasure, but the practice is the key to it.
At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
There is no disaster greater than not being content; there is no misfortune greater than being covetous.
Short Lao Tzu Quotes
The best fighter is never angry.
An over-sharpened sword cannot last long.
Because of great love, one is courageous.
As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.
A bad man is a good man’s job.
To understand the limitation of things, desire them.
Act without expectation.
He who talks more is sooner exhausted.
Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.
Stop thinking, and end your problems.
Every journey begins with a single step.
