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Lao Tzu Quotes: 20 Authentic Lines from the Tao Te Ching, with Chapters

Published 5 min read

Lao Tzu is one of the most quoted, and most misquoted, figures in history. Many “Lao Tzu quotes” on posters and social media are loose modern paraphrases, and some are not from the Tao Te Ching at all. Below are 20 authentic quotes, each with its chapter and the translator, so you can check them yourself. They are taken from the two classic public-domain translations: James Legge (1891) and Paul Carus (1898).

On the Tao

1. “The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.” Chapter 1 · Legge

2. “I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Tao (the Way or Course).” Chapter 25 · Legge

3. “The movement of the Tao / By contraries proceeds; / And weakness marks the course / Of Tao’s mighty deeds.” Chapter 40 · Legge

On water and softness

4. “The highest excellence is like (that of) water. 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.” Chapter 8 · Legge

5. “Superior goodness resembleth water.” Chapter 8 · Carus

6. “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.” Chapter 78 · Legge

7. “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.” Chapter 78 · Legge

8. “Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong.” Chapter 76 · Legge

On self-knowledge and contentment

9. “He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty.” Chapter 33 · Legge

10. “One who knows sufficiency is rich.” Chapter 33 · Carus

11. “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.” Chapter 46 · Legge

12. “Who is content / Needs fear no shame. / Who knows to stop / Incurs no blame.” Chapter 44 · Legge

On beginnings and patience

13. “The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a (small) heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.” Chapter 64 · Legge

This is the source of the famous “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. A li is a Chinese measure of distance, about a third of a mile.

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.” Chapter 63 · Legge

15. “Who can (make) the muddy water (clear)? Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear.” Chapter 15 · Legge

On action and non-action

16. “The Tao in its regular course does nothing (for the sake of doing it), and so there is nothing which it does not do.” Chapter 37 · Legge (This is wu wei.)

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).” Chapter 48 · Legge

18. “He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk (easily).” Chapter 24 · Legge

On words and giving

19. “Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.” Chapter 81 · Legge

20. “The more that he expends for others, the more does he possess of his own; the more that he gives to others, the more does he have himself.” Chapter 81 · Legge

You will often see these attributed to Lao Tzu. None of them appears in the Tao Te Ching as written:

  • “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” No source in the Tao Te Ching.
  • “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.” A modern saying, often wrongly attributed.
  • “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” A loose summary of Taoist ideas, not a line from the text.

Others, like “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom”, are genuine chapters (here, Chapter 33) in modern paraphrase. They are fine, but it’s worth knowing the original.

How to check a Lao Tzu quote

  1. Look for a chapter number. A real quote can be traced to one of the 81 chapters.
  2. Compare it with two translations. If neither has anything like it, be suspicious.
  3. Be wary of quotes that sound like modern self-help. The Tao Te Ching is stranger, sparer and more paradoxical.

All 81 chapters, with exact citations

Accuracy is a big reason we built Taoism: Doomscrolling Blocker the way we did. Every passage in the app cites its chapter and the printed page of the 1891 or 1898 edition, and nothing is rewritten or invented. Save your favourite quotes, copy them, or share them with the citation attached.

Want to understand the quotes in context? Start with our beginner’s guide to the Tao Te Ching, or learn more about who Lao Tzu was.

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