Lao Tseu citations (89 citations, Page 2)

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 1, as translated by J.H.McDonald (1996) http://www.wright-house.com/religions/taoism/tao-te-ching.html [Public domain translation] Contexte: The tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be spoken is not the eternal Name. The nameless is the boundary of Heaven and Earth. The named is the mother of creation. Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery. By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real. Yet mystery and reality emerge from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness born from darkness. The beginning of all understanding.

“A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him. Fail to honor people, They fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say, "We did this ourselves."”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

A longer paraphrase of this quotation, with modern embellishments, is often attributed to Laozi: see "Misattributed" below.
Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 17

“There is a thing inherent and natural,
Which existed before heaven and earth.
Motionless and fathomless,
It stands alone and never changes;
It pervades everywhere and never becomes exhausted.
It may be regarded as the Mother of the Universe.
I do not know its name. If I am forced to give it a name, I call it Tao, and I name it as supreme.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 25, as translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao (1904)

“Block the passages, shut the doors,
And till the end your strength shall not fail.
Open up the passages, increase your doings,
And till your last day no help shall come to you.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 52 as translated by Arthur Waley (1934)

“When men lack a sense of awe, there will be disaster.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Chapter 72, translated by Gia Fu Feng

“The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Variant translation: The more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people will be.
Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 57

“What I hear, I forget. What I say, I remember. What I do, I understand.”

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Laozi

This quotation has also been misattributed to Confucius.
Tell me and I [will] forget. Show me and I [will] remember. Involve me and I [will] understand.
不聞不若聞之，聞之不若見之，見之不若知之，知之不若行之；學至於行之而止矣
From Xun Zi 荀子
Misattributed

“Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Variant translation by Lin Yutang: "He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise".
Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 33, as interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

“The universe is deathless; Is deathless because, having no finite self, it stays infinite. A sound man by not advancing himself stays the further ahead of himself, By not confining himself to himself sustains himself outside himself: By never being an end in himself he endlessly becomes himself.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 7

“A violent wind does not outlast the morning; a squall of rain does not outlast the day. Such is the course of Nature. And if Nature herself cannot sustain her efforts long, how much less can man!”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Chapter 3 as translated by Lionel Giles

“A way can be a guide but not a fixed path
names can be given but not permanent labels
Nonbeing is called the beginning of heaven and earth
being is called the mother of all things
Always passionless thereby observe the subtle
ever intent thereby observe the apparent
These two come from the same source but differ in name
both are considered mysteries
The mystery of mysteries is the gateway of marvels”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 1, as translated by Thomas Cleary (2004)

“Therefore the Sage embraces the One,
And becomes the model of the world.
He does not reveal himself,
And is therefore luminous.
He does not justify himself,
And is therefore far-famed.
He does not boast himself,
And therefore people give him credit.
He does not pride himself,
And is therefore the ruler among men.
It is because he does not contend
That no one in the world can contend against him.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 22, as translated by Lin Yutang (1948)

“A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is. Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn't reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn't waste anything.
This is called embodying the light.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Variants:
A good traveller has no fixed plan and is not intent on arriving.
As quoted in In Search of King Solomon's Mines‎ (2003) by Tahir Shah, p. 217
A true traveller has no fixed plan, and is not intent on arriving.
Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 27, as interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

“To attain knowledge, add things every day.
To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 48

“Governing a large country is like frying a small fish.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 60

“The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 6, as interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

“Thirty spokes unite at the single hub;
It is the empty space which makes the wheel useful.
Mold clay to form a bowl;
It is the empty space which makes the bowl useful.
Cut out windows and doors;
It is the empty space which makes the room useful.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 11

“When the center does not hold, the circle falls apart.”

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Laozi

This is a paraphrase of lines in "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats.
Misattributed

“Watch your thoughts; They become words. Watch your words; They become actions. Watch your actions; They become habits. Watch your habits; They become character. Watch your character; It becomes your destiny.”

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Laozi

Source: yt

“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.”

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Laozi

“Qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià.”

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Laozi livre Dao de jing

千里之行始於足下。
A journey of a thousand li starts with a single step.
Variant translations:
A journey of a thousand [miles] starts with a single step.
A journey of a thousand miles started with a first step.
A thousand-mile journey starts from your feet down there.
As translated by Dr. Hilmar Klaus
Every journey begins with a single step.
Source: Tao Te Ching, Ch. 64, line 12

“Nature does not hurry yet it accomplishes everything.”

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Laozi

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

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Laozi

“He who talks more is sooner exhausted.”

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Laozi

“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”

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Laozi