Loss is not as bad as wanting more.
What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.
The Way to do is to be.
Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see. Stop running away and you will be found.
Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here.
If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.
There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.
He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.
The further one goes, the less one knows.
Because of a great love, one is courageous.
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.
Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.
The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms.
If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.
When there is no desire, all things are at peace.
As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.
Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.
The past has no power to stop you
from being present now.
Only your grievance about
the past can do that.
What is grievance?
The baggage of old
thought and emotion.
To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go.
Countless words
count less
than the silent balance
between yin and yang
Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?
True words aren't eloquent;
eloquent words aren't true.
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren't wise.
The Master has no possessions.
The more he does for others,
the happier he is.
The more he gives to others,
the wealthier he is.
Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Have the patience to wait! Be still and allow the mud to settle.
Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.
Great acts are made up of small deeds.
One who is too insistent on his own views finds few to agree with him.
Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.
Perfection is the willingness to be imperfect.
My teachings are easy to understand
and easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them,
and if you try to practice them,you'll fail.
My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning?
If you want to know me,
Look inside your heart.
Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Do you have the patience to wait
Till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
Till the right action arises by itself?
Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.
To see things in the seed, that is genius.
He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.
Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.
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.
What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret.
Love is a decision - not an emotion!
New Beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.
He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.
If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you will not shine. If you boast, you will have no merit. If you promote yourself, you will have no success.
Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.
Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm at the end
as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.
Be still.
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.
Would you like to save the world from the degradation and destruction it seems destined for? Then step away from shallow mass movements and quietly go to work on your own self-awareness. If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
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.
Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.
When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.
The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
The best fighter is never angry.
Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.
Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.
A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.
Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.
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.
Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
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. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
At the center of your being
you have the answer;
you know who you are
and you know what you want.
Silence is a source of Great Strength.
Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?
Stop thinking, and end your problems.
If you understand others you are smart.
If you understand yourself you are illuminated.
If you overcome others you are powerful.
If you overcome yourself you have strength.
If you know how to be satisfied you are rich.
If you can act with vigor, you have a will.
If you don't lose your objectives you can be long-lasting.
If you die without loss, you are eternal.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
The flame that burns Twice as bright burns half as long.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.
Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.
Act without expectation.
A leader is best
When people barely know he exists
Of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will say, “We did this ourselves.”
I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.
To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.
To know that you do not know is the best.
To think you know when you do not is a disease.
Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it.
The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.
Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of
softness overcoming hardness.
Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.
If a person seems wicked, do not cast him away. Awaken him with your words, elevate him with your deeds, repay his injury with your kindness. Do not cast him away; cast away his wickedness.
Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.
By letting go it all gets done.
The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know.
Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish without show, accomplish without arrogance, accomplish without grabbing, accomplish without forcing.
To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders.
To understand the limitation of things, desire them.
In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.
Give evil nothing to oppose
and it will disappear by itself.
Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.
She does not show herself, and therefore is apparent. She does not affirm herself, and therefore is acknowledged. She does not boast and therefore has merit. She does not strive and therefore is successful. It is exactly because she does not contend, that nobody can contend with her.
What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.
The Way to do is to be.
Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see. Stop running away and you will be found.
Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here.
If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.
There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.
He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.
The further one goes, the less one knows.
Because of a great love, one is courageous.
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.
Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.
The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms.
If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.
When there is no desire, all things are at peace.
As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.
Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go into the desert at night and look at the stars. This practice should answer the question.
The past has no power to stop you
from being present now.
Only your grievance about
the past can do that.
What is grievance?
The baggage of old
thought and emotion.
To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go.
Countless words
count less
than the silent balance
between yin and yang
Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?
True words aren't eloquent;
eloquent words aren't true.
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren't wise.
The Master has no possessions.
The more he does for others,
the happier he is.
The more he gives to others,
the wealthier he is.
Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Have the patience to wait! Be still and allow the mud to settle.
Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.
Great acts are made up of small deeds.
One who is too insistent on his own views finds few to agree with him.
Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.
Perfection is the willingness to be imperfect.
My teachings are easy to understand
and easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them,
and if you try to practice them,you'll fail.
My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning?
If you want to know me,
Look inside your heart.
Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Do you have the patience to wait
Till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
Till the right action arises by itself?
Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.
To see things in the seed, that is genius.
He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.
Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.
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.
What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret.
Love is a decision - not an emotion!
New Beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.
He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.
If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you will not shine. If you boast, you will have no merit. If you promote yourself, you will have no success.
Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.
Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm at the end
as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.
Be still.
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity.
Would you like to save the world from the degradation and destruction it seems destined for? Then step away from shallow mass movements and quietly go to work on your own self-awareness. If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
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.
Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.
When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.
The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
The best fighter is never angry.
Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.
Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.
A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.
Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.
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.
Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
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. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
At the center of your being
you have the answer;
you know who you are
and you know what you want.
Silence is a source of Great Strength.
Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?
Stop thinking, and end your problems.
If you understand others you are smart.
If you understand yourself you are illuminated.
If you overcome others you are powerful.
If you overcome yourself you have strength.
If you know how to be satisfied you are rich.
If you can act with vigor, you have a will.
If you don't lose your objectives you can be long-lasting.
If you die without loss, you are eternal.
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
The flame that burns Twice as bright burns half as long.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.
Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.
Act without expectation.
A leader is best
When people barely know he exists
Of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will say, “We did this ourselves.”
I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.
To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.
To know that you do not know is the best.
To think you know when you do not is a disease.
Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it.
The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.
Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of
softness overcoming hardness.
Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.
If a person seems wicked, do not cast him away. Awaken him with your words, elevate him with your deeds, repay his injury with your kindness. Do not cast him away; cast away his wickedness.
Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.
By letting go it all gets done.
The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know.
Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish without show, accomplish without arrogance, accomplish without grabbing, accomplish without forcing.
To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders.
To understand the limitation of things, desire them.
In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.
Give evil nothing to oppose
and it will disappear by itself.
Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.
She does not show herself, and therefore is apparent. She does not affirm herself, and therefore is acknowledged. She does not boast and therefore has merit. She does not strive and therefore is successful. It is exactly because she does not contend, that nobody can contend with her.
