Lao Tzu. Quotes. Teachings of Lao Tzu: basic ideas and provisions

Lao Tzu is a legendary Chinese sage, according to legend, the founder of the religion of Taoism and the creator of the treatise “Tao Tze Jing”. According to this book, Tao (the eternal path) is metaphorically compared to water - an ever-flowing element.

The Legend of Lao Tzu

He was born in a village called “Distorted Kindness” in the “Bitterness” district of the “Cruelty” province. Having spent more than 80 years in his mother’s womb, he came out a very old man, but every year he became younger. His name can be translated as “Old Child,” although some researchers translate it as “Eternal Teacher.”

Having spent his entire life as a keeper of books and having gained wisdom from them, in his old age he mounted a black and red bull and set off towards the distant Western Mountains to leave China forever and find a blessed country where there is no sorrow and suffering.

At the request of a guard stationed at the border, he drew five thousand hieroglyphs, which later formed the book “The Tale of Tao,” which contained all the wisdom of the world.

After leaving China, he moved to India and became Buddha.

Facts from the life of a sage

Lao-er was born at the beginning of the 7th century BC. in, served as an archivist in the Chu book depository. Already as an old man, he communicated with Confucius and had a great influence on the formation of his worldview.

Soon after this fateful meeting Lao Tzu was about to leave China forever, but was stopped at the border by a wandering monk who asked him to dictate the basic tenets of Taoism and possible moral and ethical laws for the existence of people in society. According to legend, Lao dictated more than five thousand words to him, which became the famous book “The Book of Tao and Te.” After which he continued his journey to India.

According to some legends, he is considered the father of the founder of the first world religion, Buddhism, Gautama Sidhartha.

How did Taoism originate?

Why can't people live in peace and harmony? Why does the strong always offend the weak? Why do terrible wars take thousands of lives and leave orphans and widows?

Why are we constantly dissatisfied with our lot? Why do we envy? Why are we greedy, as if we are going to live forever and can spend all the wealth in the world? Why do we change our beliefs and, having achieved what we want, again begin to desire something unrealistic?

The Chinese sage gives us the answer to all these questions. We are too subject to the opinions of others, and at the same time we want to subordinate people to our will. We live by our desires, obeying the body, not the soul. We cannot change our views and beliefs and, most importantly, we do not want to change them if they go against our desires.

We do not think that the world is ruled by the DAO - the great and unshakable path to comprehending the truth. The DAO is both the basis and the world order; it is he who rules the world and all things, material and spiritual, in this world.

Therefore, if a person goes the right way, through the DAO, he renounces his carnal unrighteous desires, renounces money and precious things, rethinks his beliefs and turns into a naive child who comprehends new laws of existence. In this case, he follows the path of harmony with nature and the universe, the path of the DAO.

It is believed that one must begin the path of understanding Taoism by reading the book of Lao Tzu. It is difficult to understand and comprehend the truths contained in it, but you need to read it over and over again and then learn to read between the lines and understand the inner meaning of what is written. Intuitively, you will comprehend the previously incomprehensible, and your mind will change and be able to expand the horizons of knowledge.

One Taoist liked to repeat: “If I don’t read the Tao for two or three days, then my tongue becomes stone and cannot preach the teaching.”

Basic dogmas of Taoism

“Heaven and earth are durable because they do not exist for themselves.“,” Lao wanted to say that both heaven and earth are eternal and unshakable, every person needs them and gives joy to everyone. If the sky is always above your head, and the earth is under your feet, then you don’t need to look for anything else and you don’t need to achieve anything except self-improvement.

“A truly wise person never shows off his knowledge; he puts himself below others, but finds himself ahead of everyone,” This saying of the sage is so clear that it does not require any interpretation; it is very similar to the saying of Socrates: “All I know is that I don’t know anything.”

The more knowledge a person has, the more he understands that he has only touched the truth of knowledge, but it is impossible to know everything and only a fool will boast of his knowledge.

Lao Tzu considered water to be the basis of life; he said that there is nothing more gentle, softer and weaker than water, but in an instant it can become a cruel and destructive element and can destroy a strong stone.

By this he wanted to say that with the help of tenderness and weakness one can defeat the strong and strong. Any person comes into the world gentle and weak, and leaves it strong and tough. Everyone understands this, but no one acts accordingly, because they try to be cruel to the cruel, and gentle only to the gentle.

The sage also wanted to say that it is reason and knowledge that are the most powerful weapons, although they can be called “gentle.” Aggression causes retaliatory aggression, and tolerance will help achieve mutual understanding without cruelty.

“He who knows people is smart, he who knows himself is wise” and again we return to the philosophy of antiquity. The ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus said: “What is most difficult? Know yourself." And indeed, it is difficult for a person to look into his soul and know the origins of his actions. And if you can understand the deep origins of your actions, you will be able to recognize other people, since people are the same in many ways.

“If you don’t allow yourself to look at what makes you want, your heart won’t flutter.”

By this the Chinese sage wanted to say that people constantly strive for unnecessary things: they want money, jewelry, silks and luxury, but if you do not know about their existence and never see such things, then you will not desire them. And if you strive only for fame, honors and wealth, instead of leading a righteous life full of reflection and knowledge of the world, then over the years you will have to be sad about missed opportunities.

“He who does not worry about life is wiser than he who understands life,” At first glance, this statement is somewhat vague, but it is precisely this idea that runs through all world philosophy. A person must live every day and appreciate every minute of his existence. A person needs to overcome the fear of death and go through life without being afraid to face it. This fear makes us weak and prevents us from achieving our goal.

Only by getting rid of this fear can you live life to the fullest, breathe full breasts and enjoy every moment.

DAO is the eternal and unshakable Absolute, to which all living things strive, even the eternal Heaven is subject to the laws of DAO, and the meaning of life for any person is to merge with it in eternal harmony and fast the divine ecstasy of the unity of cosmic souls.

The Book of Changes, the works of thinkers Lao Tzu and Confucius - without these three things, the philosophy of Ancient China would have resembled a building without a foundation or a tree without roots - so great is their contribution to one of the most profound philosophical systems in the world.

"I-Ching", that is, "", is one of the earliest monuments philosophy of ancient China. In the title of this book - deep meaning, which lies in the principles of variability of nature and human life as a result of a natural change in the energies of Yin and Yang in the Universe. Sun and Moon and others celestial bodies in the process of their rotation they create all the diversity of the constantly changing celestial world. Hence the title of the first work philosophy of ancient China- “Book of Changes.”

In the history of ancient Chinese philosophical thought, the “Book of Changes” occupies a special place. For centuries, almost every sage of the Celestial Empire tried to comment on and interpret the contents of the “Book of Changes.” This commentary and research activity, which lasted for centuries, laid the foundations philosophy of ancient China and became the source of its subsequent development.

Prominent representatives philosophy of ancient China, who largely determined its problematics and the issues being studied for two millennia to come, are Lao Tzu and Confucius. They lived during the 5th-6th century. BC e. Although Ancient China also remembers other famous thinkers, it is still primarily the legacy of these two people that is considered the foundation of the philosophical quest of the Celestial Empire.

Lao Tzu - "The Wise Old Man"

The ideas of Lao Tzu (real name - Li Er) are set out in the book “Tao Te Ching”, in our opinion - “The Canon of Tao and Virtue”. Lao Tzu left this work, consisting of 5 thousand hieroglyphs, to a guard on the Chinese border when he went to the West at the end of his life. The importance of the Tao Te Ching can hardly be overestimated for philosophy of ancient China.

The central concept that is discussed in the teachings of Lao Tzu is "Tao". The main meaning in Chinese- this is “path”, “road”, but it can also be translated as “root cause”, “principle”.

Lao Tzu's "Tao" means natural way of all things, the universal law of development and change of the world. “Tao” is the immaterial spiritual basis of all phenomena and things in nature, including humans.

These are the words with which Lao Tzu begins his Canon on Tao and Virtue: “You cannot know Tao only by talking about It. And it is impossible to call by a human name that beginning of heaven and earth, which is the mother of everything that exists. Only one freed from worldly passions is able to see Him. And the one who preserves these passions can only see His creations.”

Lao Tzu then explains the origin of the concept “Tao” he uses: “There is such a thing formed before the appearance of Heaven and Earth. It is independent and unshakable, changes cyclically and is not subject to death. She is the mother of everything that exists in the Celestial Empire. I don't know her name. I’ll call it Tao.”

Lao Tzu also says: “Tao is immaterial. It is so foggy and uncertain! But in this fog and uncertainty there are images. It is so foggy and uncertain, but this fog and uncertainty hides things within itself. It is so deep and dark, but its depth and darkness conceals the smallest particles. These smallest particles are characterized by the highest reliability and reality."

Speaking about the style of government, the ancient Chinese thinker considers the best ruler to be the one about whom the people only know that this ruler exists. A little worse is the ruler whom people love and exalt. Even worse is a ruler who inspires fear in the people, and the worst are those whom people despise.

Great importance in the philosophy of Lao Tzu is given to the idea of ​​renouncing “worldly” desires and passions. Lao Tzu spoke about this in the Tao Te Ching using his own example: “All people indulge in idleness, and society is filled with chaos. I am the only one who is calm and does not expose myself to everyone. I look like a child who was not born into this idle world at all. All people are overwhelmed by worldly desires. And I alone gave up everything that was valuable to them. I’m indifferent to all this.”

Lao Tzu also cites the ideal of the perfectly wise man, emphasizing the achievement of "non-action" and modesty. " a wise man gives preference to inaction and remains at peace. Everything around him happens as if by itself. He has no attachment to anything in the world. He does not take credit for what he has done. Being the creator of something, he is not proud of what he created. And since he does not extol himself or boast, and does not strive for special respect for his person, he becomes pleasant to everyone.”

In his teaching, which had a great influence on philosophy of ancient China, Lao Tzu encourages people to strive for the Tao, talking about a certain blissful state that he himself achieved: “All Perfect people flock to the Great Tao. And you follow this Path! … I, being in inaction, wander in the boundless Tao. This is beyond words! Tao is the subtlest and most blissful."

Confucius: the immortal teacher of the Celestial Empire

Subsequent development philosophy of ancient China associated with Confucius, the most popular sage of the Celestial Empire, whose teachings today have millions of admirers both in China and abroad.

The views of Confucius are set out in the book “Conversations and Judgments” (“Lun Yu”), which was compiled and published by his students based on the systematization of his teachings and sayings. Confucius created an original ethical and political teaching that guided the emperors of China as an official doctrine throughout almost the entire subsequent history of the Celestial Empire, until the communists gained power.

The basic concepts of Confucianism that form the foundation of this teaching are “ren” (humanity, philanthropy) and “li” (respect, ceremony). The basic principle of “ren” is don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want for yourself. “Li” covers a wide range of rules that essentially regulate all spheres of social life - from family to government relations.

Moral principles, social relations and problems of government are the main themes in the philosophy of Confucius.

In relation to knowledge and awareness of the surrounding world, Confucius mainly echoes the ideas of his predecessors, in particular Lao Tzu, even inferior to him in some ways. An important component of nature for Confucius is fate. The teachings of Confucius speak about fate: “Everything is initially predetermined by fate, and here nothing can be added or subtracted. Wealth and poverty, reward and punishment, happiness and misfortune have their own root, which cannot be influenced by the power of human wisdom.”

Analyzing the possibilities of knowledge and the nature of human knowledge, Confucius says that by nature people are similar to each other. Only the highest wisdom and extreme stupidity are unshakable. People begin to differ from each other due to their upbringing and as they acquire different habits.

Regarding the levels of knowledge, Confucius offers the following gradation: “The highest knowledge is the knowledge that a person has at birth. Below is the knowledge that is acquired in the process of studying. Even lower is the knowledge gained as a result of overcoming difficulties. The most insignificant is the one who does not want to learn an instructive lesson from difficulties.”

Philosophy of Ancient China: Confucius and Lao Tzu

Sima Qian, the famous ancient Chinese historian, gives in his notes a description of how the two greatest sages of the Celestial Empire once met.

He writes that when Confucius was in Xiu, he wanted to visit Lao Tzu to listen to his opinion regarding rituals (“li”).

Note, Lao Tzu said to Confucius, that those who taught the people have already died, and their bones have long since decayed, but their glory, nevertheless, has not yet faded. If circumstances favor the sage, he rides in chariots; and if not, he will begin to carry a load on his head, holding its edges with his hands.

“I heard,” continued Lao Tzu, “that experienced merchants hide their goods as if they had nothing. Likewise, when a sage has high morality, he appearance doesn't express it. You need to give up your pride and various passions; get rid of your love for beauty, as well as your inclination towards sensuality, since they are useless to you.

That's what I'm telling you, and I won't say anything more.

When Confucius said goodbye to Lao Tzu and came to his students, he said:

It is known that birds can fly, fish can swim in water, and animals can run. I also understand that with snares you can catch those who run, with nets you can catch those who swim, and with snares you can catch those who fly. However, speaking of the dragon, I don't know how to catch it. He rushes through the clouds and rises into the sky.

Today I saw Lao Tzu. Maybe he is a dragon?..

From Sima Qian's note above, one can see the difference in the depth of thought of both philosophers. Confucius believed that the wisdom of Lao Tzu and his profound teachings was incommensurate with his own. But one way or another, both thinkers - Lao Tzu and Confucius - with their creativity laid a powerful foundation for the development philosophy of ancient China 2 thousand years ahead.

Lao Tzu was born in 604 BC. V Ancient China in the kingdom of Chu, Ku county, in the Li region, in the village of Quren, not far from modern Beijing. According to legend, his pregnant mother carried the child within her for several decades and Lao Tzu was born an old man, which is why he got his name:

Lao Tzu - " old child". In life, his name was Li Er. He received a good education, for some time served as a historian at the court of the Zhou dynasty and was the keeper of the archives of the royal library - the greatest book depository in China. He was married, his son So was military service, to which Lao Tzu himself had a very negative attitude. Already in adulthood, seeing the weakening of the Zhou dynasty and predicting its subsequent fall and collapse, Lao Tzu left with civil service and retired to a cave in the province of Zheu, away from people and civilization.

The treatise "Tao Te Ching" or "Treatise on Tao and Te" speaks of the existence of the absolute Tao - eternal, infinite, inconceivable, without "image, taste or smell"; not created by anyone, it is “its own trunk, its own root”; impartially embracing and containing everything that exists, like the bottomless sky. According to Lao Tzu, “When a low person hears about Tao, he laughs. If he did not laugh, it would not be Tao.” To cognize the Tao, follow it, merge with it - this is the purpose, meaning and happiness of life. Tao - as the highest, eternally spiritual being- is the root cause of everything that exists on earth, and human souls are just emanations of this being. "Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to myriads of entities." According to the teachings of Lao Tzu, the soul, untainted by sins, returns to its Divine principle, and sins force it to reside in other bodies of the animal world.

Lao Tzu argued that the best path in life is the path of non-action, in which a person obediently follows the Tao - that is, the natural flow of life. “The implementation of non-action leads to the fact that there is nothing left that is not controlled.” Or in other words: The constancy of Tao is the absence of fulfillment. As a result of this, the unrealized is absent. A man of wisdom places his personality behind, but his personality is in front. He distances himself from the personality, but the personality remains. It is precisely by the absence of personal aspirations that he is able to fulfill them.

The teachings of Lao Tzu are quite complex and incomprehensible to the uninitiated. His predictions are just as vague and incomprehensible, relating not to specific events, like most of those that we are accustomed to listening to or following, but to the general “cosmic development”. Perhaps Lao Tzu's teaching itself contains much of what a person should follow in order to comprehend what he predicted.

Image of the sage Lao Tzu based on a drawing by the artist Wu Dao Tzu (8th century). An engraving from a medieval stele in one of the temples in Suzhou.

Aphorisms of Lao Tzu

• Be attentive to your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions.
• Temperance is the first stage of virtue, which is the beginning of moral perfection.
• The voice of truth is graceless, and graceful speech is deceitful. A moral person is not eloquent, and an eloquent person is a liar.
• In order to live a good life, there is no need to know where you came from and what will happen in the next world. Think only about what your soul, not your body, wants, and you will not need to know either where you came from or what will happen after death. There will be no need to know this because you will experience that complete good, for which there are no questions about the past or the future.
• Debt without love is no joy. Truth without love makes a person critical. Parenting without love creates contradictions. Order without love makes a person petty. Subject knowledge without love makes a person always right. Possession without love makes a person stingy. Faith without love makes a person a fanatic. Woe to those who are stingy with love. Why live if not to love?
• A worthy husband does a lot, but does not boast about what he has done; makes merit, but does not recognize it, because he does not want to reveal his wisdom.
• If a thing is not suitable for one purpose, it can be used for another.
• He who knows people is intelligent, and he who knows himself is perspicacious.
• He who knows a lot is silent, and he who speaks a lot knows nothing.
• When you are prosperous, think about what you need to do in times of trouble, since great trouble begins with a small one.
• When laws and orders multiply, the number of thieves and robbers increases.
• He who wages war for the sake of humanity will defeat his enemies.
• He who thinks that he has comprehended everything knows nothing.
• He who is brave without knowing philanthropy, who is generous without knowing thrift, who goes forward without knowing humility, will perish.
• He who, knowing a lot, behaves as if he knows nothing, is a moral man.
• Anyone who, when undertaking a task, is in a hurry to achieve a result, will do nothing. He who carefully finishes his work as he began will not fail.
• People of the highest morality do not consider themselves moral; therefore they have the highest morality.
• A wise man does not expose himself to the light, so he shines; he does not talk about himself, therefore he is glorious; he does not glorify himself, therefore he is deserved; he does not exalt himself, so he is the eldest among others.
• There is no misfortune worse than not knowing satisfaction.
• There is no sin heavier than passions.
• Under the sky everything is only temporary.
• Honor and shame from the mighty of the world (for a sage) are equally strange.
• The reason that it is difficult to govern the people is that the people are enlightened and there are many smart people in them.
• Smart people are not learned; scientists are not smart.
• Although war may have peace as its goal, it is undeniably evil.
• The trouble of the whole world comes from little things, just as great things come from small things.
• A great man holds on to the essential and abandons the trivial. He does everything truthfully, but will never rely on laws.
• Everything in the world grows, blooms and returns to its root.
• The voice of truth is disgusting to hear.
• He who is content with himself is a rich man.
• A worthy husband always tries to be impartial, not to attach value to hard-to-get things and not to listen to fruitless teaching.
• A worthy husband puts on thin clothes, but has a gem in it.
• The law of the worthy is to do good and not quarrel.
• He who knows when to stop is happy with his position.
• A truly enlightened person never fights.
• When the world began to exist, reason became its mother, and the one who realizes that the basis of his life is spirit knows that he is beyond all danger. When he closes his mouth and closes the gates of the senses at the end of his life, he will not experience any anxiety.
• When there are no enemies, there is no war.
• Anyone who pretends to know a lot and is capable of everything knows nothing and is not capable of anything.
• He who talks a lot often fails.
• Whoever, knowing the limits of his activity, does not approach dangers, will live long.
• He who, knowing nothing, behaves as if he knows a lot, is sick.
• Easily achieved agreement is not trustworthy.
• The sage avoids all extremes.
• He who does not quarrel is not condemned.
• There is no greater misfortune than despising your enemies.
• He who conquers others is strong, and he who conquers himself is powerful.
• Loss is the beginning of reproduction, multitude is the beginning of loss.
• An excellent warrior never gets angry.
• The newly bloomed plant is tender and weak. A dried plant is hard and inflexible. From this it is clear that the tender and weak live.
• Although there is no object in the world that would be weaker and more delicate than water, it can destroy the hardest object.
• A person dies easily because he has too much desire for life.

• When laws and orders multiply, the number of thieves and robbers increases.
• When there are no enemies, there is no war.
• If you accumulate a lot, a lot will disappear.
• If the people are not afraid of power, then even greater power will come.
• Whoever, knowing the limits of his activity, does not approach dangers, will live long.
• He who, knowing a lot, behaves as if he knows nothing, is a moral man.
• He who talks a lot often fails.
• He who, knowing nothing, behaves as if he knows a lot, is sick.
• If people are not afraid of death, then why frighten them with death?
• There are four great spheres: Path, Heaven, Earth, Man - and Man occupies first place among the spheres...
• The law of the worthy is to do good and not quarrel.
• He who knows when to stop is happy with his position. He who knows a lot is silent, but he who speaks a lot knows nothing.
• The trouble of the whole world comes from little things, just as great things come from small things.
• Boundless virtue is like its defect; spreading virtue is like plundering it.
• A worthy husband always tries to be impartial, not to attach value to hard-to-get things and not to listen to fruitless teaching.
• a lot, but does not boast about what he has done; he makes merits, but does not recognize them, because he does not want to reveal his wisdom.
• Be able to know the beginning and the path of antiquity, and this knowledge will allow you to see the guiding thread leading to today.
• Be attentive to your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions.
• A great man holds on to the essential and abandons the trivial. He does everything truthfully, but will never rely on laws.
• There are thirty spokes in one wheel, but they use a chariot because of the emptiness between them. Vases are made from clay, but they take advantage of the emptiness in the vase. They break through windows and doors in the house, but take advantage of the emptiness in the house. This is the benefit of being and non-being.
• Temperance is the first stage of virtue, which is the beginning of moral perfection.
• Everything in the world grows, blooms and returns to its root. Returning to your root means tranquility; consonant with nature means eternal; therefore, the destruction of the body does not involve any danger.
• The voice of truth is graceless, and graceful speech is deceitful. A moral person is not eloquent, and an eloquent person is a liar.
• The voice of truth is disgusting to hear.
• Even the best weapons do not bode well.
• For a sage, honor and shame from the powers that be are equally strange.
• He who is content with himself is a rich man.
• A worthy husband puts on thin clothes, but has a precious stone in himself.
• If a thing is not suitable for one purpose, it can be used for another.
• If you lack faith, then existence does not believe in you.
• If the palace is luxurious, then the fields are covered with weeds and the grain stores are empty. The nobility dresses in luxurious fabrics, carries sharp swords, is not satisfied with ordinary food and accumulates excessive wealth. All this is called robbery and waste.
• A truly enlightened person never fights.
• And a loss can turn into a profit, and a profit can turn into a loss.
• When you are prosperous, think about what you need to do in times of trouble, since great trouble begins with a small one.
• He who wages war for the sake of humanity will defeat his enemies.
• Anyone who pretends to know a lot and is capable of everything knows nothing and is not capable of anything.
• He who thinks he has comprehended everything knows nothing.
• Anyone who, when undertaking a task, is in a hurry to achieve a result, will do nothing. He who carefully finishes his work as he began will not fail.
• He who is brave without knowing philanthropy, who is generous without knowing thrift, who goes forward without knowing humility, will perish.
• Easily achieved agreement is not trustworthy.
• People of the highest morality do not consider themselves moral, therefore they have the highest morality.
• Loss is the beginning of reproduction, multitude is the beginning of loss.
• If there are Paths, they do not stagnate.
• The sage avoids all extremes.
• does not expose itself to the light, therefore it shines; he does not talk about himself, therefore he is glorious; he does not glorify himself, therefore he is deserved; he does not exalt himself, so he is the eldest among others.
• The best thing is to quit after achieving success.
• People, doing things, approaching their completion, constantly spoil them, and if you are as careful at the end of the thing as at the beginning, then you will not spoil it.
• The lowly are the basis for the noble, and the low is the basis for the high. Therefore, nobles and sovereigns who elevate themselves do not have a strong position, because they do not consider the ignorant as their basis. This is the wrong way.
• Without knowing constancy, you fuss, creating failures, and awareness of constancy makes a person receptive. Sensitivity leads to the ability to be fair.
• Although there is no object in the world that would be weaker and more delicate than water, it can destroy the hardest object.
• Although war may have peace as its goal, it is undeniably evil.
• You cannot be as precious as jasper, you need to become simple as a stone.
• You cannot deify demons.
• He who does not quarrel is not condemned.
• There is no misfortune worse than not knowing satisfaction.
• There is no greater crime than indulging in harmful aspirations.
• There is no greater disaster than underestimating your enemy.
• There is no sin heavier than passions.
• Denial of the Path is: luxurious apartments and fields overgrown with weeds, rich clothing, satiety of food and completely empty storage facilities.
• The reason that it is difficult to govern the people is that the people are enlightened and there are many smart people in them.
• Show the simplicity of an unpainted canvas, contain the artlessness of an unfinished piece of wood, reduce self-interest and limit desires.
• The perfection of a warrior lies in vigilance, constant combat readiness, rigor, sincerity, and impenetrable calm.
• The newly bloomed plant is tender and weak. A dried plant is hard and inflexible. From this it is clear that the tender and weak live.
• He who knows people is prudent. He who knows himself is enlightened. He who conquers people is strong. He who conquers himself is powerful.
• He who neglects his life does not value his life.
• Smart people are not learned; scientists are not smart.
• At birth a person is tender and weak, at death he is hard and strong. All things and plants are tender and weak at birth, but hard and strong at death. The hard and strong is what perishes. The tender and the weak are what begin to live... The strong and powerful do not have the advantage that the tender and weak have.
• Man follows the earth. The earth follows the sky. Heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows naturalness.

Lao Tzu: “If you rush, you will stumble. Don't run away in business, attracted quick results. Be as careful at the end of the path as you were when you first set foot on it.”

Tao does everything through non-action.

Water has not acquired its own form and happily accepts someone else’s, but any solidity of a material object is powerless before it.

Smart is the one who knows people. He who knows himself is enlightened. Victory over people gives power, victory over oneself gives power. – L. Tzu

We honor the one who does a lot and does not boast about it, who accomplishes great feats but does not demand reward, for he does not want to show his superiority.

Water has no will, and nothing can resist it.

The highest morality does not praise itself, that is why it is the highest. Author: Lao Tzu

People who create the appearance that they can do everything and know everything, cannot do anything and know nothing.

Those who are stupid and poorly educated are easier to manage. When there are many smart people, it is difficult to rule them.

Read the continuation of Lao Tzu's quotes and aphorisms on the pages:

Everything in the world grows, blooms and returns to its root. Returning to your root means tranquility; consonant with nature means eternal; therefore, the destruction of the body does not involve any danger.

He who, knowing a lot, behaves as if he knows nothing, is a moral man.

The trouble of the whole world comes from little things, just as great things come from small things.

He who is brave without knowing philanthropy, who is generous without knowing thrift, who goes forward without knowing humility, will perish.

An excellent warrior never gets angry.

For a sage, honor and shame from the powers that be are equally strange.

The trouble of the whole world comes from little things, just as great things come from small things.

And a loss can turn into a profit, and a profit can turn into a loss.

There is no greater misfortune than despising your enemies.

He who knows does not speak. The one who speaks does not know.

He who thinks he has comprehended everything knows nothing.

If you accumulate a lot, a lot will disappear.

There is no greater disaster than underestimating your enemy.

He who conquers others is strong, and he who conquers himself is powerful.

Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all beings. All beings carry yin and yang within themselves, are filled with qi and form harmony.

There is no misfortune worse than not knowing satisfaction.

If there are Paths, they do not stagnate.

He who knows people is intelligent, and he who knows himself is perspicacious.

He who knows a lot is silent, and he who speaks a lot knows nothing.

In order to reduce something, of course, you must first increase it. In order to receive, one must first, of course, give.

When laws and orders multiply, the number of thieves and robbers increases.

Everything in the world grows, blooms and returns to its root.

Loss is the beginning of reproduction, multitude is the beginning of loss.

Debt without love is no joy. Truth without love makes a person critical. Parenting without love creates contradictions. Order without love makes a person petty. Subject knowledge without love makes a person always right. Possession without love makes a person stingy. Faith without love makes a person a fanatic. Woe to those who are stingy with love. Why live if not to love?

A wise man does not expose himself to the light, so he shines; he does not talk about himself, therefore he is glorious; he does not glorify himself, therefore he is deserved; he does not exalt himself, so he is the eldest among others.

People of the highest morality do not consider themselves moral, therefore they have the highest morality.

You cannot be as precious as jasper, you need to become simple as a stone.

He who wages war for the sake of humanity will defeat his enemies.

He who, knowing nothing, behaves as if he knows a lot, is sick.

The law of the worthy is to do good and not quarrel.

If you lack faith, then existence does not believe in you.

If people are not afraid of death, then why frighten them with death?

The sage avoids all extremes.

The law of the worthy is to do good and not quarrel.

Even the best weapons do not bode well.

There is no sin heavier than passions.

There are thirty spokes in one wheel, but they use a chariot because of the emptiness between them. Vases are made from clay, but they take advantage of the emptiness in the vase. They break through windows and doors in the house, but take advantage of the emptiness in the house. This is the benefit of being and non-being.

People, doing things, approaching their completion, constantly spoil them, and if you are as careful at the end of the thing as at the beginning, then you will not spoil it.

At birth a person is tender and weak, at death he is hard and strong. All things and plants are tender and weak at birth, but hard and strong at death. The hard and strong is what perishes. The tender and weak are what begin to live. The strong and powerful do not have the advantage that the gentle and weak have.

He who does not quarrel is not condemned.

The lowly are the basis for the noble, and the low is the basis for the high. Therefore, nobles and sovereigns who elevate themselves do not have a strong position, because they do not consider the ignorant as their basis. This is the wrong way.

He who is content with himself is a rich man.

The reason that it is difficult to govern the people is that the people are enlightened and there are many smart people in them.

Be able to know the beginning and the path of antiquity, and this knowledge will allow you to see the guiding thread leading to today.

If a thing is not suitable for one purpose, it can be used for another.

A worthy husband always tries to be impartial, not to attach value to hard-to-get things and not to listen to fruitless teaching.

A person dies easily because he has too much desire for life.

Be attentive to your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions.

Man follows the earth. The earth follows the sky. Heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows naturalness.

He who knows people is prudent. He who knows himself is enlightened. He who conquers people is strong. He who conquers himself is powerful.

Be bent and you will stay straight. Be empty and you will remain full. Be worn out and you will remain new.

He who thinks that he has comprehended everything knows nothing.

He who does not quarrel is not condemned.

Loss is the beginning of reproduction, multitude is the beginning of loss.

Temperance is the first stage of virtue, which is the beginning of moral perfection.

He who knows when to stop is happy with his position. He who knows a lot is silent, but he who speaks a lot knows nothing.

Be attentive to your thoughts - they are the beginning of actions.

Although war may have peace as its goal, it is undeniably evil.

He who knows when to stop is happy with his position.

The best thing is to quit after achieving success.

Easily achieved agreement is not trustworthy.

Under the sky everything is only temporary.

He who talks a lot often fails.

A great man holds on to the essential and abandons the trivial. He does everything truthfully, but will never rely on laws.

When the world began to exist, reason became its mother, and the one who realizes that the basis of his life is spirit knows that he is beyond all danger. When he closes his mouth and closes the gates of the senses at the end of his life, he will not experience any anxiety.

There is no greater crime than indulging in harmful aspirations.

In order to live a good life, there is no need to know where you came from and what will happen in the next world. Think only about what your soul, not your body, wants, and you will not need to know either where you came from or what will happen after death. There will be no need to know this because you will experience that complete good, for which there are no questions about the past or the future.

When there are no enemies, there is no war.

The newly bloomed plant is tender and weak. A dried plant is hard and inflexible. From this it is clear that the tender and weak live.

If the people are not afraid of power, then even greater power will come.

Boundless virtue is like its defect; spreading virtue is like plundering it.

Whoever, knowing the limits of his activity, does not approach dangers, will live long.

There is no sin heavier than passions.

He who, knowing a lot, behaves as if he knows nothing, is a moral man.

A worthy husband puts on thin clothes, but has a precious stone in himself.

A worthy husband does a lot, but does not boast about what he has done; makes merit, but does not recognize it, because he does not want to reveal his wisdom.

You cannot deify demons.

The perfection of a warrior lies in vigilance, constant combat readiness, rigor, sincerity, and impenetrable calm.

He who is content with himself is a rich man.

Denial of the Path is: luxurious apartments and fields overgrown with weeds, rich clothing, satiety of food and completely empty storage facilities.

Temperance is the first stage of virtue, which is the beginning of moral perfection.

Honor and shame from the mighty of the world (for a sage) are equally strange.

A truly enlightened person never fights.

When you are prosperous, think about what you need to do in times of trouble, since great trouble begins with a small one.

He who neglects his life does not value his life.

Smart people are not learned; scientists are not smart.