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A leader is best when people barely know he exists; Not so good when people obey and acclaim him; worst when they despise him; but a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say "We did it our selves!"

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Leadership

More quotes by Laozi

The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao;
The name that can be defined is not the unchanging name.

Ch'u Ta-Kao (1904)

The tao that can be described
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be spoken
is not the eternal Name.

J.H.McDonald (1996)

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)

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 beginning of heaven and earth.

Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English (1972)

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

interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

All Laozi quotes →

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Henry Miller My Bike & Other Friends (1977)

It's simply to say that managers and investors alike must understand that accounting numbers is the beginning, not the end, of business valuation.

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Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.

George S. Patton

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

George S. Patton War As I Knew It (1947)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Laozi (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.