Tao Te Ching is a classic book of spiritual literature and was written nearly two thousand years ago by Lao Tzu.
Tao Te Ching is a useful manual for how to live a life of peace, tranquility, and compassion.
This book will guide you to the Tao, or “Way,” of harmony with the cosmos.
Here are some of the most famous quotes from Tao Te Ching book.
Table of Contents
Tao Te Ching Quotes by Lao Tzu
“The soft overcomes the hard; and the weak the strong.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Must you value what others value, avoid what others avoid? How ridiculous!” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“He is free from self- display, and therefore he shines;” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“A skillful soldier is not violent, an able fighter does not rage, a mighty conqueror does not give battle, a great commander is a humble man.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out.” ~ Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching
“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.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
Other Book Quotes: Animal Farm Quotes by George Orwell and The Book Thief Quotes by Markus Zusak
Best Tao Te Ching Quotes by Lao Tzu
“Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The flame that burns Twice as bright burns half as long.” ~ Lao Tzu, Te Tao Ching
“Success is as dangerous as failure. Hope is as hollow as fear.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“When wealth and honours lead to arrogancy, this brings its evil on itself.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“He who overcomes himself is mighty.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
Quotes from Tao Te Ching
“It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to carry it when it is full.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“To understand the limitation of things, desire them.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The further one goes, the less one knows.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“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.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.” ~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching.
Famous Tao Te Ching Quotes
“The heart that gives, gathers.” ~ Tao Te Ching, Tao Te Ching
“To bear and not to own; to act and not lay claim; to do the work and let it go: for just letting it go is what makes it stay.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The world belongs to those who let go.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“A bad man is a good man’s job.” ~ Laozi, The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary
“Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.” ~ Lao Tsu, Tao Teh Ching
“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“When the work is done, and one’s name is becoming distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“There are few in the world who attain to the teaching without words, and the advantage arising from non-action.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“When goodness is lost there is morality.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know.” ~ Lao zi, Tao Te Ching.
Powerful Tao Te Ching Quotes
“Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Have the patience to wait! Be still and allow the mud to settle.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“When I let go of what I am
I become what i might be.” ~ Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching
“When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Always without desire we must be found,” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Love is a decision – not an emotion!” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“With no desire, at rest and still, All things go right as of their will.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
Philosophical Tao Te Ching Quotes
“A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
The road you can talk about is not the road you can walk on.” ~ Lao-Tse, Tao Te Ching.
“Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Colors blind the eye
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“If you understand others you are smart.
If you understand yourself you are illuminated.
If you overcome others you are powerful.
If you overcome yourself you have strength.
If you know how to be satisfied you are rich.
If you can act with vigor, you have a will.
If you don’t lose your objectives you can be long-lasting.
If you die without loss, you are eternal.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The Wise Man is square but not sharp, honest but not not malign, straight but not severe, bright but not dazzling.” ~ Laozi, Tao Te Ching.
“If we could renounce our benevolence and discard our righteousness, the people would again become filial and kindly.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Look, and it can’t be seen.
Listen, and it can’t be heard.
Reach, and it can’t be grasped.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“When there is no desire, all things are at peace.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“Because she competes with no one, no one can compete with her.” ~ Lao Tzu (quotes from Tao Te Ching).
“The moral man does something,
and when no one responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.” ~ Laotzu, Tao Te Ching.
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