Laozi was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer. He is known as the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of philosophical Taoism, and as a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.
Some of Laozi’s famous sayings include:
“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.”
“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
“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.”
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.”
“When goodness is lost, it is replaced by morality.”
“Without Darkness, there can be no Light.”
“The usefulness of a pot comes from its emptiness.”
“The best people are like water, which benefits all things and does not compete with them. It stays in lowly places that others reject. This is why it is so similar to the Way.”
“When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad.”
“Try to change it and you will ruin it. Try to hold it and you will lose it.”
“Those who know do not say. Those who say do not know.”
“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”
“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”
“A journey of a thousand miles starts under one’s feet.”
“The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be.”
— Laozi, Tao Te Ching