Lao Tzu

The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

The more he gives to others,
the wealthier he is.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

The Master has no possessions.
The more he does for others,
the happier he is.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

Wise men don't need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren't wise.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

True words aren't eloquent;
eloquent words aren't true.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

they are content to die of old age
without ever having gone to see it.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

And even though the next country is so close
that people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking,

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

spend weekends working in their gardens,
delight in the doings of the neighborhood.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

People enjoy their food,
take pleasure in being with their families,

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

There may be a few wagons and boats,
but these don't go anywhere.
There may be an arsenal of weapons,
but nobody ever uses them.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren't interested in travel.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don't waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

True words seem paradoxical.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

Because he has given up helping,
he is people's greatest help.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

Therefore the Master remains
serene in the midst of sorrow.
Evil cannot enter his heart.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.

[Lao Tzu @LaoTzu]

Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.