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The wisdom of Lao Tzu 
Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its law from the Tao. The law of the Tao is its being what it is. Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power. He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know. Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment. He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty. A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. Great acts are made up of small deeds. Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading. When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. 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. Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. From caring comes courage. He who is contented is rich. 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. When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you. Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy. A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. Silence is a source of great strength. Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good. By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning. Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge. Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it. In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it. One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others. Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained. Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides. An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox. He who does not trust enough, Will not be trusted. 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. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it. 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. To see things in the seed, that is genius. At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be. The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own. One who is too insistent on his own views, finds few to agree with him. The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who the people say, 'We did it ourselves.' The power of intuitive understanding will protect you from harm until the end of your days. Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it. The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself. The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. When a nation is filled with strife, then do patriots flourish. Violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself. The words of truth are always paradoxical. Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. The sage does not hoard. The more he helps others, the more he benefits himself, The more he gives to others, the more he gets himself. The Way of Heaven does one good but never does one harm. The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete. Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment. A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar. The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; the Named is the mother of all things. Without stirring abroad, One can know the whole world; Without looking out of the window One can see the way of heaven. The further one goes The less one knows. Be the chief but never the lord. If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence. To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; Not to realize that you do not understand is a defect. When virtue is lost, benevolence appears, when benevolence is lost right conduct appears, when right conduct is lost, expedience appears. Expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure. Nature is not human hearted. From wonder into wonder existence opens. There was something undifferentiated and yet complete, which existed before Heaven and Earth. Soundless and formless, it depends on nothing and does not change. It operates everywhere and is free from danger. It may be considered the mother of the universe. I do not know its name; I call it Tao. It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins. I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any. Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere. All things in the world come from being. And being comes from non-being. If you keep feeling a point that has been sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness. Heaven is long-enduring, and earth continues long. The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves. |
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