Taoism Quotes - Page 5

Because he (the Sage) opposes no one, no one in the world can oppose him.

If good happens, good; if bad happens, good.

When everyone in the world sees beauty, then ugly exists.

When wisdom and knowledge appear, great pretense arises.

Misery is what happiness rests upon. Happiness is what misery lurks beneath.

Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.

What is most necessary for people and what is given us in great abundance, are experiences, especially experiences of the forces within us. This is our most essential food, our most essential wealth. If we consciously receive all this abundance, the universe will pour into us what is called life in Judaism, spirit in Christianity, light in Islam, power in Taoism.

Taoism is the gentle way. The path of least resistence.

People's shortcomings should be treated with tact; if you expose them crudely, this is attacking weakness with a weakness. When people are stubborn, it requires skill to influence them; if you treat them with anger and spite, this is treating stubbornness with stubbornness.

True words seem false.

Those who know it do not speak about it. Those who speak about it do not know it.

Make the small big and the few many.

The sage avoids extremity, excess, and extravagance.

He who knows himself is enlightened.

Excellent warriors are not violent.

All things arise in unison. Thereby we see their return.

Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained.

It (Tao) is eternally without desire. So, it can be called small. All things return to it, although it does not make itself their ruler. So, it can be called great.

What should be shrunken must first be stretched.

The sage acts by doing nothing.

Fine words are traded. Noble deeds gain respect. But people who are not good, why abandon them?

My words are very easy to understand and very easy to practice; but there is no one in the world who is able to understand and practice them.

Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge.

All things of the world are born of being; being is born of nonbeing.

Yielding is the way of the Tao.