Quotes from Laozi

Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond is and is not.

Filling all the way to the brim is not as good as halting in time.

The wise man looks back into the past, and does not grieve over what is far off, nor rejoice over what is near; for he knows that time is without end.

Stretch the bow to the very full, and you will wish you had stopped in time.

We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move.

Love the whole world as if it were your self; then you will truly care for all things.

Can you love or guide someone without any kind of expectation?

Whatever is flexible and living will tend to grow; whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die.

The longer you travel, the less you know.

A tree trunk the size of a man grows from a blade as thin as a hair. A tower nine stories high is built from a small heap of earth.

A tree that cannot bend will crack in the wind. Thus by nature's own decree, the soft and gentle are triumphant.

A tree that can fill the span of a man's arms grows from a downy tip; A terrace nine stories high rises from level earth; A journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath one's feet.

A tree that is unbending, is easily broken.

The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout.

Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle. A tree that is unbending is easily broken.

All things such as grass and trees are soft and supple in life. At their death they are withered and dry.

A tree as wide as a man's embrace grows from a tiny shoot.

The rigid tree will be felled.

When taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, people lose their spirit. Act for the people's benefit. Trust them; leave them alone.

Without the tao, Kindness and compassion are replaced by law and justice; Faith and trust are supplanted by ritual and ceremony.

Goodness in words creates trust, goodness in thinking creates depth, goodness in giving creates love.

Kind words elicit trust. Kind thoughts create depth. Kind deeds bring love.

Open yourself to the truth, then trust in your natural responses, and everything will fall into place.

He who does not trust enough will not be trusted.