Looking for the best and inspirational Lao Tzu quotes?
Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher and poet who lived from 604 BC to 531 BC. He is widely considered the most influential thinker in the history of Taoism and one of the most prominent philosophers in China.
He is credited with having written the Tao Te Ching, a book that later became China’s best-known collection of divinely inspired wisdom. In his writings, he tells us to be like water, which is always in motion, and yet nothing disappears into it. That’s because water takes in all things but doesn’t retain any of them. It simply changes form over time without ever losing its natural essence.
Lao Tzu’s most famous quote is: “20 years old, I set my mind on learning; 30 years old, I looked back; 40 years old, I succeeded.” This quote can be interpreted as Lao Tzu’s own success story or as an inspiring story for those striving to achieve their goals.
Here are some of his most inspirational quotes that will change your outlook on life and provide you with inspiration to live.
85 Inspiring Lao Tzu Quotes
“Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.”
“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.”
“He who is contented is rich.”
“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.”
“A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.”
“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.”
“Stop thinking and end your problems.”
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
“The Wise Man is square but not sharp, honest but not not malign, straight but not severe, bright but not dazzling.”
“In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.”
“If the people must be ever fearful of death, then there will always be an executioner.”
“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”
“Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.”
“If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind.”
“Empty yourself of everything – let the mind become still.”
“Confidence is the greatest friend.”
“There is a time to live and a time to die but never to reject the moment.”
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”
“To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders.”
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
“New beginnings are disguised as painful endings.”
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.”
“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.”
“To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”
“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”
“Make your heart like a lake with a calm still surface and great depths of kindness.”
“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.”
“Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.”
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”
“Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.”
“Our enemies are not demons, but human beings like ourselves.”
“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.”
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
“The heart that gives, gathers.”
“When you are at one with loss, the loss is experienced willingly.”
“If I had just a little bit of wisdom I should walk the great path and fear only straying from it.”
“By letting go, it all gets done.”
“Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.”
“Those who know do not say. Those who say do not know.”
“An over sharpened sword cannot last long. “
“When you accept yourself, the whole world accepts 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.”
“Great acts are made up of small deeds.”
“If you do not value rare treasures, you will stop others from stealing.”
“Use the light that is within you to revert to your natural clearness of sight.”
“Be still like a mountain, and flow like a great river.”
“If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.”
“When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’”
“If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.”
“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
“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?”
“Trying to control the future is like trying to take the master carpenter’s place. When you handle the master carpenter’s tools, chances are that you’ll cut your hand.”
“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.”
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
“Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
“Silence is a source of great strength.”
“Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here.”
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.”
“Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.”
“To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”
“Stop thinking, and end your problems.”
“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”
“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
“The best fighter is never angry.”
“There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.”
“A man with outward courage dares to die: a man with inner courage dares to live.”
“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
“He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of will power. He who stays where he is endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.”
“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.”
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.
“Act without expectation.”
“Ambition has one heel nailed in well, though she stretches her fingers to touch the heavens.”
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
“If you want to lead them you must place yourself behind them.”
“Is it not through her selflessness that she is able to perfect herself?”
“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”
“Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.”
“To understand the limitation of things, desire them.”
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”
“People in their handlings of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure.”
