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Quotes from interpreted by Stephen Mitchell — Laozi

China

← All quotes by Laozi

8 quotes

The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.
The unnameable is the eternally real.

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

Knowing others is intelligence;
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

The Master has no possessions.

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

Since before time and space were,
the Tao is.
It is beyond is and is not.
How do I know this is true?
I look inside myself and see.

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities. It is hidden but always present.
I don't know who gave birth to it.
It is older than God.

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Laozi (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.