250 Lao Tzu Quotes: Timeless Wisdom from the Tao Te Ching

This collection of 250 lao tzu quotes gathers the essential wisdom of the Tao Te Ching — the 81-chapter classic attributed to the ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu (Laozi). Every line below comes from James Legge’s 1891 public-domain translation, cited by chapter, so you can trace each quote to its source. A final section debunks famous lines the internet wrongly credits to him. Nothing here is invented.

You will find his teachings on the Tao, water, simplicity, leadership, patience, wu wei, humility, contentment, nature, war and peace, knowledge, love, and life and death — plus the misattributions, corrected. Read straight through, or jump to the theme you need.

Editor’s Picks

Our 11 favorite lao tzu quotes, hand-picked from the full 250 below.

The Tao & The Way

The opening chapters of the Tao Te Ching circle the great mystery: the Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao. These lao tzu quotes on the Way gather his most essential statements about the source behind all things.

1. “The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 1)
2. “The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 1)
3. “Always without desire we must be found, if its deep mystery we would sound.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 1)
4. “Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 1)
5. “We look at it, and we do not see it, and we name it 'the Equable.'” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 14)
6. “We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.'” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 14)
7. “This is called the Form of the Formless, and the Semblance of the Invisible.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 14)
8. “We meet it and do not see its Front; we follow it, and do not see its Back.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 14)
9. “There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 25)
10. “I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Tao.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 25)
11. “Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its law from the Tao.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 25)
12. “The law of the Tao is its being what it is.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 25)
13. “The Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced All things.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 42)
14. “The violent and strong do not die their natural death.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 42)
15. “All things are produced by the Tao, and nourished by its outflowing operation.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 51)
16. “It produces them and makes no claim to the possession of them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 51)
17. “Tao has of all things the most honored place.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 62)
18. “All-pervading is the Great Tao! It may be found on the left hand and on the right.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 34)

Try this: read chapter 1 slowly each morning for a week — the Tao rewards re-reading more than explaining.

Water & The Power of Softness

Lao Tzu returns to water again and again — soft, low, yielding, and ultimately irresistible. These lao tzu quotes on water teach strength through gentleness.

1. “The highest excellence is like that of water.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 8)
2. “The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving to the contrary, the low place which all men dislike.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 8)
3. “And when one with the highest excellence does not wrangle about his low position, no one finds fault with him.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 8)
4. “The softest thing in the world dashes against and overcomes the hardest.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 43)
5. “That which has no substantial existence enters where there is no crevice.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 43)
6. “There are few in the world who attain to the teaching without words, and the advantage arising from non-action.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 43)
7. “There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 78)
8. “Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 78)
9. “Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 76)
10. “Trees and plants, in their early growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 76)
11. “Thus it is that firmness and strength are the concomitants of death; softness and weakness, the concomitants of life.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 76)
12. “Therefore the place of what is firm and strong is below, and that of what is soft and weak is above.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 76)
13. “The soft overcomes the hard; and the weak the strong.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 36)
14. “The movement of the Tao by contraries proceeds; and weakness marks the course of Tao's mighty deeds.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 40)
15. “The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 22)
16. “That whereby the rivers and seas are able to receive the homage and tribute of all the valley streams, is their skill in being lower than they.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 66)
17. “Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to strive with him.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 66)
18. “Who can make the muddy water clear? Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 15)

Note: softness here is not weakness; water wears down stone precisely because it never contends.

Simplicity & Stillness

Against noise and excess, Lao Tzu prescribes the uncarved block: plain, simple, still. These lao tzu quotes on simplicity show how less becomes more.

1. “The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space for the axle, that the use of the wheel depends.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 11)
2. “Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 11)
3. “The door and windows are cut out from the walls to form an apartment; but it is on the empty space within, that its use depends.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 11)
4. “What has a positive existence serves for profitable adaptation, and what has not that for actual usefulness.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 11)
5. “The state of vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree, and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 16)
6. “This returning to their root is what we call the state of stillness.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 16)
7. “Gravity is the root of lightness; stillness, the ruler of movement.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 26)
8. “Constant action overcomes cold; being still overcomes heat.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 45)
9. “Purity and stillness give the correct law to all under heaven.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 45)
10. “It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to carry it when it is full.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 9)
11. “When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 9)
12. “When the work is done, and one's name is becoming distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 9)
13. “Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy the craving of the belly, and not the insatiable longing of the eyes.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 12)
14. “I alone seem listless and still, my desires having as yet given no indication of their presence.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 20)
15. “Simplicity without a name is free from all external aim.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 37)
16. “With no desire, at rest and still, all things go right as of their will.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 37)
17. “He who devotes himself to learning seeks from day to day to increase his knowledge; he who devotes himself to the Tao seeks from day to day to diminish his doing.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 48)
18. “He diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 48)

Try this: remove one complication from your day today — Lao Tzu trusted subtraction over addition.

Leadership & Governing

The Tao Te Ching is also a manual for rulers — lead by not interfering. These lao tzu quotes on leadership describe the sage-ruler who governs by example and restraint.

1. “In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were their rulers.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 17)
2. “Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves!'” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 17)
3. “Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 2)
4. “If any one should wish to get the kingdom for himself, and to effect this by what he does, I see that he will not succeed.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 29)
5. “He who would so win it destroys it; he who would hold it in his grasp loses it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 29)
6. “I will do nothing of purpose, and the people will be transformed of themselves.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 57)
7. “I will be fond of keeping still, and the people will of themselves become correct.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 57)
8. “The government that seems the most unwise, oft goodness to the people best supplies.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 58)
9. “Therefore the sage is like a square which cuts no one with its angles.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 58)
10. “For regulating the human in our constitution and rendering the proper service to the heavenly, there is nothing like moderation.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 59)
11. “Governing a great state is like cooking small fish.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 60)
12. “Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to small states, gains them for itself; and that small states, by abasing themselves to a great state, win it over to them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 61)
13. “So it is that the sage ruler, wishing to be above men, puts himself by his words below them, and, wishing to be before them, places his person behind them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 66)
14. “In this way though he has his place above them, men do not feel his weight.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 66)
15. “The sage has no invariable mind of his own; he makes the mind of the people his mind.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 49)
16. “Therefore the sage knows these things of himself, but does not parade his knowledge.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 72)
17. “The sage does not accumulate for himself. The more that he expends for others, the more does he possess of his own.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 81)
18. “A skillful commander strikes a decisive blow, and stops.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 30)

Note: his ideal ruler is barely noticed — the people say ‘we did it ourselves.’

Patience & Timing

Things ripen in their own season; the sage never forces them. These lao tzu quotes on patience teach waiting as a skill, not a weakness.

1. “The journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 64)
2. “The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a small heap of earth.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 64)
3. “That which is at rest is easily kept hold of; that which is brittle is easily broken; that which is very small is easily dispersed.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 64)
4. “Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 64)
5. “People in their conduct of affairs are constantly ruining them when they are on the eve of success. If they were careful at the end, as they should be at the beginning, they would not so ruin them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 64)
6. “The kingdom is a spirit-like thing, and cannot be got by active doing.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 29)
7. “Hence the sage puts away excessive effort, extravagance, and easy indulgence.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 29)
8. “Who can secure the condition of rest? Let movement go on, and the condition of rest will gradually arise.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 15)
9. “They who preserve this method of the Tao do not wish to be full of themselves.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 15)
10. “It is the way of Heaven not to strive, and yet it skillfully overcomes.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 73)
11. “Its demonstrations are quiet, and yet its plans are skillful and effective.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 73)
12. “The meshes of the net of Heaven are large; far apart, but letting nothing escape.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 73)
13. “He whose boldness appears in not daring to do wrong lives on.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 73)
14. “All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 63)
15. “Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 63)
16. “The perception of what is small is the secret of clear-sightedness; the guarding of what is soft and tender is the secret of strength.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 52)
17. “The sage anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 63)
18. “The skillful masters of old, with subtle and exquisite penetration, comprehended its mysteries.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 15)

Try this: when tempted to force an outcome, wait 24 hours and watch what ripens on its own.

Wu Wei: The Art of Non-Action

Wu wei — effortless action, doing without forcing — is the Tao Te Ching’s central practice. These lao tzu quotes on wu wei show how not-doing accomplishes everything.

1. “The Tao in its regular course does nothing for the sake of doing it, and so there is nothing which it does not do.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 37)
2. “I know hereby what advantage belongs to doing nothing with a purpose.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 43)
3. “When there is this abstinence from action, good order is universal.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 3)
4. “Not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 3)
5. “It is the way of the Tao to act without thinking of acting; to conduct affairs without feeling the trouble of them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 63)
6. “To consider what is small as great, and a few as many; and to recompense injury with kindness.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 63)
7. “He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 63)
8. “I will take no trouble about it, and the people will of themselves become rich.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 57)
9. “Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave their right names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 47)
10. “When its work is accomplished, it does not claim the name of having done it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 34)
11. “Those who possessed in the highest degree those attributes did nothing with a purpose, and had no need to do anything.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 38)
12. “With all the doing in the way of the sage he does not strive.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 81)
13. “He who devotes himself to the Tao seeks from day to day to diminish his doing.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 48)
14. “In the kingdom the multiplication of prohibitive enactments increases the poverty of the people.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 57)
15. “He who wins all under heaven does so by giving himself no trouble.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 48)
16. “If princes and kings were able to maintain it, all things would of themselves be transformed by them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 37)
17. “The more display there is of legislation, the more thieves and robbers there are.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 57)
18. “The kingdom is made one's own only by freedom from action and purpose.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 57)

Note: wu wei is not passivity — it is action so aligned with the situation that it looks effortless.

Humility & The Low Place

Rivers are kings of valleys because they lie lower. These lao tzu quotes on humility teach the power of the low place.

1. “What makes a great state is its being like a low-lying, down-flowing stream.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 61)
2. “Each gets what it desires, but the great state must learn to abase itself.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 61)
3. “He is free from self-display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and therefore he is distinguished.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 22)
4. “From self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged; from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 22)
5. “He whose desires are few gets them; he whose desires are many goes astray.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 22)
6. “Hence princes and kings call themselves 'Orphans,' 'Men of small virtue,' and as 'Carriages without a nave.'” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 39)
7. “Thus it is that dignity finds its firm root in its previous meanness, and what is lofty finds its stability in the lowness from which it rises.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 39)
8. “Who knows how white attracts, yet always keeps himself within black's shade.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 28)
9. “The multitude of men all have enough and to spare. I alone seem to have lost everything.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 20)
10. “He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk easily.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 24)
11. “Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in the foremost place.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 7)
12. “What men dislike is to be orphans, to have little virtue, to be as carriages without naves; and yet these are the designations which kings and princes use for themselves.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 42)
13. “May not the Way of Heaven be compared to the bending of a bow? The part which was high is brought low, and what was low is raised up.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 77)
14. “Unpretentious like wood that has not been fashioned into anything; vacant like a valley, and dull like muddy water.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 15)
15. “Who knows his manhood's strength, yet still his female feebleness maintains.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 28)
16. “To be in favor or disgrace is to live in fear.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 13)
17. “He who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 24)
18. “Therefore all in the world delight to exalt him and do not weary of him.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 66)

Try this: take the last seat in your next meeting and notice how much more you hear.

Contentment & True Wealth

He who is content is rich — Lao Tzu redefines wealth as wanting little. These lao tzu quotes on contentment separate having from craving.

1. “He who is satisfied with his lot is rich.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 33)
2. “He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 33)
3. “Or fame or life, which do you hold more dear? Or life or wealth, to which would you adhere?” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 44)
4. “Who cleaves to fame rejects what is more great; who loves large stores gives up the richer state.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 44)
5. “Who is content needs fear no shame. Who knows to stop incurs no blame. From danger free long live shall he.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 44)
6. “There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition; no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot; no fault greater than the wish to be getting.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 46)
7. “Therefore the sufficiency of contentment is an enduring and unchanging sufficiency.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 46)
8. “Color's five hues from the eyes their sight will take; music's five notes the ears as deaf can make; the flavors five deprive the mouth of taste.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 12)
9. “They should think their coarse food sweet; their plain clothes beautiful; their poor dwellings places of rest; and their common simple ways sources of enjoyment.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 80)
10. “What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body which I call myself; if I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me?” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 13)
11. “Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life; let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 72)
12. “He who does not fail in the requirements of his position, continues long.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 33)
13. “But though the Tao as it comes from the mouth seems insipid and has no flavor, though it seems not worth being looked at or listened to, the use of it is inexhaustible.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 35)
14. “There is no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot; no fault greater than the wish to be getting.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 46)
15. “It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 77)
16. “He who possesses the mother of the state may continue long.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 59)
17. “The sage knows himself but does not parade his knowledge; he loves himself but does not exalt himself.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 72)
18. “Keep life and lose those other things; keep them and lose your life.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 44)

Note: contentment is a skill: practice wanting what you have and wealth follows.

Nature & Harmony

Heaven, Earth, and the Tao move in effortless accord; humans thrive by aligning with them. These lao tzu quotes on nature reveal the pattern behind all patterns.

1. “The Tao is like the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fullness.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 4)
2. “How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honored Ancestor of all things!” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 4)
3. “Heaven and earth do not act from the impulse of any wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the dogs of grass are dealt with.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 5)
4. “May not the space between heaven and earth be compared to a bellows? It is emptied, yet it loses not its power; it is moved again, and sends forth air the more.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 5)
5. “The valley spirit dies not, aye the same; the female mystery thus do we name.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 6)
6. “Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long, because they do not live for themselves.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 7)
7. “When things in the vegetable world have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 16)
8. “Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 23)
9. “A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 23)
10. “The relation of the Tao to all the world is like that of the great rivers and seas to the streams from the valleys.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 32)
11. “All things depend on it for their production, which it gives to them, not one refusing obedience to it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 34)
12. “Heaven which by it is bright and pure; Earth rendered thereby firm and sure; all creatures which through it do live.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 39)
13. “All things leave behind them the Obscurity out of which they have come, and go forward to embrace the Brightness into which they have emerged, while they are harmonized by the Breath of Vacancy.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 42)
14. “The Tao which originated all under the sky is to be considered as the mother of them all.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 52)
15. “He who has in himself abundantly the attributes of the Tao is like an infant.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 55)
16. “This honoring of the Tao and exalting of its operation is not the result of any ordination, but always a spontaneous tribute.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 51)
17. “Thus it is that the Tao produces all things, nourishes them, and brings them to their full growth.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 51)
18. “It clothes all things as with a garment, and makes no assumption of being their lord.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 34)

Try this: spend ten quiet minutes outdoors today — the Tao is easiest to read in nature.

War & Peace

Lao Tzu distrusted armies and celebrated the general who mourns victory. These lao tzu quotes on war and peace argue that the best fight is the one avoided.

1. “He who would assist a lord of men in harmony with the Tao will not assert his mastery in the kingdom by force of arms. Such a course is sure to meet with its proper return.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 30)
2. “Wherever a host is stationed, briars and thorns spring up. In the sequence of great armies there are sure to be bad years.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 30)
3. “He will strike the blow, but will be on his guard against being vain or boastful or arrogant in consequence of it. He strikes it as a matter of necessity; he strikes it, but not from a wish for mastery.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 30)
4. “When things have attained their strong maturity they become old. This may be said to be not in accordance with the Tao; and what is not in accordance with it soon comes to an end.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 30)
5. “Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all creatures. Therefore they who have the Tao do not like to employ them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 31)
6. “Calm and repose are what he prizes; victory by force of arms is to him undesirable. To consider this desirable would be to delight in the slaughter of men.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 31)
7. “On occasions of festivity to be on the left hand is the prized position; on occasions of mourning, the right hand.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 31)
8. “He who has killed multitudes of men should weep for them with the bitterest grief; and the victor in battle has his place rightly according to those rites.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 31)
9. “When the Tao prevails in the world, they send back their swift horses to draw the dung-carts. When the Tao is disregarded in the world, the war-horses breed in the border lands.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 46)
10. “A state may be ruled by measures of correction; weapons of war may be used with crafty dexterity; but the kingdom is made one's own only by freedom from action and purpose.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 57)
11. “He who in Tao's wars has skill assumes no martial port; he who fights with most good will to rage makes no resort.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 68)
12. “Thus we say, 'He ne'er contends, and therein is his might.'” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 68)
13. “I do not dare to be the host to commence the war; I prefer to be the guest to act on the defensive. I do not dare to advance an inch; I prefer to retire a foot.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 69)
14. “There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war. To do that is near losing the gentleness which is so precious.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 69)
15. “When opposing weapons are actually crossed, he who deplores the situation conquers.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 69)
16. “This is called marshalling the ranks where there are no ranks; baring the arms to fight where there are no arms to bare; grasping the weapon where there is no weapon to grasp.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 69)
17. “Though they had buff coats and sharp weapons, they should have no occasion to don or use them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 80)
18. “He who delights in the slaughter of men cannot get his will in the kingdom.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 31)

Note: he does not deny conflict exists; he denies that force ever truly wins.

Knowledge & Self-Knowledge

True knowing begins with knowing yourself — and admitting what you do not know. These lao tzu quotes on knowledge cut through cleverness to wisdom.

1. “Not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 3)
2. “Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 3)
3. “He constantly tries to keep them without knowledge and without desire; and where there are those who have knowledge, he keeps them from presuming to act on it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 3)
4. “While his intelligence reaches in every direction, cannot he appear to be without knowledge?” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 10)
5. “My mind is that of a stupid man; I am in a state of chaos.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 20)
6. “All men have their spheres of action; I alone am dull and incapable, like a rude borderer. I alone am different from other men, but I value the nursing-mother, the Tao.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 20)
7. “He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 33)
8. “Without going outside his door, one understands all that takes place under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Tao of Heaven.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 47)
9. “The farther that one goes out from himself, the less he knows.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 47)
10. “The sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave their right names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 47)
11. “He who knows the Tao does not care to speak about it; he who is ever ready to speak about it does not know it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 56)
12. “Such an one cannot be treated familiarly or distantly; he is beyond all consideration of profit or injury, of nobility or meanness. He is the noblest man under heaven.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 56)
13. “My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practice; but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practice them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 70)
14. “Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere. Those who know the Tao are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 81)
15. “To know and yet think we do not know is the highest attainment; not to know and yet think we do know is a disease.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 71)
16. “It is simply by being pained at the thought of having this disease that we are preserved from it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 71)
17. “Scholars of the highest class, when they hear about the Tao, earnestly carry it into practice.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 41)
18. “The ancients who showed their skill in practicing the Tao did so, not to enlighten the people, but rather to make them simple.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 65)

Try this: write down three things you do not know — admitting ignorance is his highest attainment.

Love & Compassion

Gentleness is one of his three treasures, alongside frugality and humility. These lao tzu quotes on love and compassion show softness as strategy.

1. “When the Great Tao ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue. Then appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 18)
2. “When harmony no longer prevailed throughout the six kinships, filial sons found their manifestation; when the states and clans fell into disorder, loyal ministers appeared.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 18)
3. “If we could renounce our benevolence and discard our righteousness, the people would again become filial and kindly.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 19)
4. “If we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 19)
5. “If we could renounce our artful contrivances and discard our scheming for gain, there would be no thieves nor robbers.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 19)
6. “The sage is always skillful at saving men, and so he does not cast away any man.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 27)
7. “To those who are good to me, I am good; and to those who are not good to me, I am also good; and thus all get to be good.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 49)
8. “To those who are sincere with me, I am sincere; and to those who are not sincere with me, I am also sincere; and thus all get to be sincere.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 49)
9. “The people all keep their eyes and ears directed to him, and he deals with them all as his children.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 49)
10. “A great state, by condescending to small states, gains them for itself; and small states, by abasing themselves to a great state, win it over to them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 61)
11. “Even men who are not good are not abandoned by it.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 62)
12. “Though he has his place above them, men do not feel his weight; though he has his place before them, they do not feel it an injury to them.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 66)
13. “I have three precious things which I prize and hold fast. The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from taking precedence of others.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 67)
14. “With that gentleness I can be bold; with that economy I can be liberal; shrinking from taking precedence of others, I can become a vessel of the highest honor.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 67)
15. “Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and firmly to maintain its ground.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 67)
16. “Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? Only he who is in possession of the Tao!” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 77)
17. “When a reconciliation is effected between two parties after a great animosity, there is sure to be a grudge remaining in the mind of the one who was wrong.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 79)
18. “Heaven will save its possessor, by his very gentleness protecting him.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 67)

Note: his gentleness is tactical: the soft overcomes the hard, even in battle.

Life & Death

Life and death are one cycle; the sage moves through both without fear. These lao tzu quotes on life and death teach longevity through alignment with the Tao.

1. “He who dies but does not really perish enjoys longevity.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 33)
2. “Out of life, into death! Three out of ten are followers of life, three out of ten are followers of death.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 50)
3. “Because he has no place for death to enter.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 50)
4. “He who is filled with virtue is like a newborn child.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 55)
5. “To know harmony is to know the changeless; to know the changeless is to have insight.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 55)
6. “To hasten the growth of life is ominous.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 55)
7. “All this is against Tao, and whatever is against Tao soon ends.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 55)
8. “Firmness and strength are the concomitants of death; softness and weakness, the concomitants of life.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 76)
9. “The strong and big takes the lower place; the soft and weak takes the higher place.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 76)
10. “To return to the root is repose; it is called going back to one's destiny.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 16)
11. “To the end of his days, he will never be in peril.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 16)
12. “The valley spirit never dies.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 6)
13. “The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to frighten them with death?” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 74)
14. “Fame or life: which do you hold dearer? Life or wealth: to which would you adhere?” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 44)
15. “Being and non-being create each other.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 2)
16. “This is the Tao of long life and enduring vision.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 59)
17. “I have heard that he who is skillful in managing the life entrusted to him for a time travels on the land without having to shun rhinoceros or tiger.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 50)
18. “There is always One who presides over the infliction of death.” — Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, ch. 74)

Note: longevity, for Lao Tzu, comes from not grasping at life — the tighter the grip, the shorter the hold.

Lines Wrongly Credited to Lao Tzu

The internet loves putting words in Lao Tzu’s mouth. These famous lines are widely shared as his — but the real sources, named below, tell a different story.

1. “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.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Frank Outlaw (Bi-Lo supermarket president), Texas newspaper, 1977. Traced by Quote Investigator to Frank Outlaw in 1977; never found in any Tao Te Ching translation; also credited to Gandhi, the Buddha, and Thatcher.
2. “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.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: 'Jimmy R.', Days of Healing, Days of Joy (1987). A line from a 1987 recovery book; absent from all 81 chapters of the Tao Te Ching.
3. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Unknown / modern (also credited to Confucius and Guan Zhong). Wiktionary lists its origin as unknown; the line appears nowhere in the Tao Te Ching.
4. “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.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Aileen Miga and Janice Hughes, Inspired Wealth (2004), p. 44. From a 2004 financial-leadership book; the Lao Tzu misattribution is attested only since 2006.
5. “The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Toward the One (1974). Oldest Lao Tzu ascription is 2007 (Emma Maule's Self & Spirit); spread by George Wendt's Drinking with George (2009).
6. “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Chuang Tzu (paraphrase) / modern. Appears nowhere in the Tao Te Ching; the closest match is Chuang Tzu on acquiring knowledge through stillness.
7. “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Unknown / modern. Circulates only in self-help books and social media; of unknown origin and date.
8. “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.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Unknown / modern. Origin unknown; explicitly not found in the Dao De Jing.
9. “Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Stephen Mitchell's 1988 English interpretation of Chapter 9. Mitchell's paraphrase; the line is not in the original Chinese text or in other recognized translations.
10. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Dean Koontz, Lightning (1988). Earliest appearance credits Lao Tzu with no source given; not in the Tao Te Ching.
11. “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Unknown / modern. No traceable origin; nowhere in the Tao Te Ching despite endless online crediting to Lao Tzu.
12. “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Alan Cohen, The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1981). Oldest book found (1981) already credits Lao Tzu without any source; variants are called a 'Chinese proverb'.
13. “Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time' is like saying 'I don't want to.'” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Unknown / modern. Nowhere in the Tao Te Ching; no source has ever been given for the Lao Tzu credit.
14. “Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Unknown / modern (first Facebook sighting 2009). The word 'music' appears only once in the Tao Te Ching (Chapter 35), dismissively.
15. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (1977). From Bach's fictional 'Messiah's Handbook'; Lao Tzu mentions neither caterpillars nor butterflies.
16. “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” — Not Lao Tzu. Real source: M.J. Ryan, A Grateful Heart (1994), 'translator unknown'. Partly adapted from Witter Bynner's loose 1944 rendering of Chapter 47 — not Lao Tzu's words.

Note: loving a quote does not require an ancient author — but honesty requires naming the real one.

How to Use These Lao Tzu Quotes

Start with the lines that puzzle you — the Tao Te Ching rewards slow reading over quick skimming. Each quote above carries its chapter number from James Legge’s 1891 translation, so you can open the full chapter and read the surrounding verses.

Use the debunk section as a reminder: a quote does not need an ancient sage’s name to be true — but it deserves an honest one. And use these lines the Taoist way: pick one maxim each morning and let the day test it.

More Lao Tzu Quotes to Explore

If these lao tzu quotes stilled your mind, continue with our stoic quotes — the Western school of calm endurance — and Marcus Aurelius quotes for the emperor-philosopher. The Seneca quotes offer Roman Stoic letters on the same themes, while Socrates quotes trace the examined life to its Greek source.

For the Eastern tradition, see Confucius quotes and Buddha quotes — Lao Tzu’s great contemporaries in Chinese thought. Plato quotes bring the Greek parallel, and wisdom quotes gather the broader tradition. For daily application, browse inspirational quotes for life, motivational quotes for success, life quotes, and success quotes. For the scholarly source, Wikipedia’s entry on Laozi is the best starting point.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Lao Tzu most famous for saying?

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” — from Tao Te Ching, chapter 64 (Legge renders it “a thousand li”). It is his thesis in one line: every great undertaking starts small and near.

Did Lao Tzu really say “Watch your thoughts, they become your words”?

No — that line traces to Frank Outlaw in 1977, not the Tao Te Ching. It is debunked in the final section above, along with 15 other famous misattributions, each with its real source named.

Which translation of the Tao Te Ching is used here?

James Legge’s 1891 translation, which is in the public domain. Every quote carries its chapter number so you can verify it against any edition — the chapter numbering is standard across translations.

What is wu wei?

Wu wei means “non-action” or “effortless action” — acting in harmony with the situation instead of forcing it. It is the Tao Te Ching‘s central practice: do without doing, and nothing is left undone.

That is the full collection — 250 lao tzu quotes, from the unnamable Tao to the debunked fakes. Lao Tzu taught that the soft overcomes the hard, the still outlasts the hurried, and the humble end up exalted. Pick one line and let it work on you today.