The Tao Te Ching

Some quotes from Lao Tzu...

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

"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."

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich."

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

"Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know."

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

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

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

"Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you."

"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."

"A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live."

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you."

"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream."

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

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

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love."

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

"The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself."

"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 or her."

"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."

"To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day."

"Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?"

"By letting go it all gets done."

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."

"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment"

"To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders."

"Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires."

"Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail."

"She does not show herself, and therefore is apparent. She does not affirm herself, and therefore is acknowledged. She does not boast and therefore has merit. She does not strive and therefore is successful. It is exactly because she does not contend, that nobody can contend with her."

"Because of a great love, one is courageous."