Living Kindness

“If a person seems wicked,
do not cast him away.
Awaken him with your words,
elevate him with your deeds,
repay his injury with your kindness.
Do not cast him away;
cast away his wickedness.”

~ Lao-Tzu

Manifest Plainness, Embrace Simplicity

“Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.”

~ Lao Tzu

At The Center Of Your Being

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

~ Lao Tzu

The Soft and Supple Will Prevail

“Men are born soft and supple;
dead they are stiff and hard.
Plants are born tender and pliant;
dead, they are brittle and dry.
Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life.
The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.”

~ Lao Tzu

She Does Not Show Herself

“She does not show herself,
and therefore is apparent.
She does not affirm herself,
and therefore is acknowledged.
She does not boast
and therefore has merit.
She does not strive
and therefore is successful.
It is exactly because she does not contend,
that nobody can contend with her.”

~ Lao Tzu

Stop Thinking

“Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!

Other people are excited,
as though they were at a parade.
I alone don't care,
I alone am expressionless,
like an infant before it can smile.

Other people have what they need;
I alone possess nothing.
I alone drift about,
like someone without a home.
I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty.

Other people are bright;
I alone am dark.
Other people are sharp;
I alone am dull.
Other people have purpose;
I alone don't know.
I drift like a wave on the ocean,
I blow as aimless as the wind.

I am different from ordinary people.
I drink from the Great Mother's breasts.”

~ Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Become A Leader Among Men

“I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize:
The first is gentleness; the second is frugality;
the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others.

Be gentle and you can be bold;
be frugal and you can be liberal;
avoid putting yourself before others
and you can become a leader among men.”

~ Lao Tzu

Emptiness Of The Center

“We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the emptiness of the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the inner space
that makes it livable.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.”

~ Lao Tzu

Without The Laugh There Is No Tao

“When the highest type of men hear Tao,
They diligently practice it.
When the average type of men hear Tao,
They half believe in it.
When the lowest type of men hear Tao,
They laugh heartily at it.
Without the laugh, there is no Tao.”

~ Lao Tzu

Superior Integrity

“The person of superior integrity
does not insist upon his integrity.
For this reason, he has integrity.
The person of inferior integrity
never loses sight of his integrity;
For this reason, he lacks integrity.”

~ Lao Tzu