Best Lao Tzu Quotes

Lao Tzu Quotes About Life, Love, Thoughts, Leadership, Happiness, Self & Kindness! The 6th century B.C Lao Tzu, also known as Laozi, was a Chinese philosopher and was regarded as the founder of the Chinese philosophical ‘School of the Tao’ or ‘Taoism.’ He was considered a contemporary of the famed and most respected Chinese teacher and philosopher ‘Confucius.’ However, some tales hold that they were both the same person. Others hold that he lived before Confucius. The details of Lao Tzu’s biography are still shrouded in mystery, and there are several stories surrounding his birth and early life.

Nonetheless, his ideas have been passed down through the ages, and now his followers are many. Although the philosopher lived during the Zhou Dynasty, the longest-surviving dynasty in ancient China, Laozi’s philosophy was primarily well known throughout the Han dynasty. When the Han Dynasty came to power, Taoism gained widespread acceptance and was practised as a religious tradition.

However, there is no mention of Laozi’s life in any of the early writings of Taoism. There have been many hypotheses, confusions, and even disagreements over Laozi’s life and death in the last several decades because of the lack of knowledge. Many experts believe that Laozi’s religious and philosophical treatise, ‘Tao te ching,’ was not penned by him alone.

Others believe that the philosopher never lived, and Laozi may ascribe to any elderly wise man of ancient Chinese who imparted philosophy. In the last 25 centuries, various translations have been done on Lao Tzu’s work, and no one can agree on which one is the most accurate, but reading any version of his work has the same effect on you.

Best Lao Tzu Quotes

1. “If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place.” – Lao Tzu

2. “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ― Lao Tzu

3. “Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”- Lao Tzu

4. “Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.” – Lao Tzu

5. “The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.” ― Lao Tzu

6. “Who acts in stillness finds stillness in his life.”  ― Lao Tzu

7. “I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”  ― ― Lao Tzu

8. “Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” ― Lao Tzu

9. “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.” ― Lao Tzu

10. “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” ― Lao Tzu

11. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ― Lao Tzu

12. “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.” – Lao Tzu

13. “He who is contented is rich.” ― Lao Tzu

14. “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.”― Lao Tzu

15. “Love is a decision. Not an emotion.” ― Lao Tzu

16. “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.” ― Lao Tzu

17. “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.” ― Lao Tzu

18. “Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.” ― Lao Tzu

19. “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” ― Lao Tzu

20. “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ― Lao Tzu

21. “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.”― Lao Tzu

22. “A man with outward courage dares to die: a man with inner courage dares to live.” ― Lao Tzu

23. “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ― Lao Tzu

24. “For the wise man looks into space and he knows there is no limited dimensions.” ― Lao Tzu

25. “Time is a created thing. To say “I don’t have time,” is like saying, “I don’t want to.” ― Lao Tzu

26. “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” ― Lao Tzu

27. “The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” ― Lao Tzu

28.  “The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” – Lao Tzu

29. “If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.” – Lao Tzu

30. “Surrender your self-interest. Love others as much as you love yourself. Then you can be entrusted with all things under heaven.” – Lao Tzu