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Taoism Quotes

Browse 1018 quotes about Taoism.

Taoism Quotes

“The autumn hill gathers the remaining light, A flying bird chases after its companion. The green color is bright And brings me into the moment, like a sunset mist that has no fixed place.”

Moments Light Color Summer Bird Green Flying Hills Fixed Sunset Taoism Autumn Companion Mist

Author:Wang Wei

“Autumn clouds, vague and obscure; The evening, lonely and chill. I felt the dampness on my garments, But saw no spot, and heard no sound of rain.”

Felt Sound Saws Heard Summer Rain Lonely Clouds Spots Evening Taoism Autumn Vague Obscure Chill Garments Sound Of Rain

Author:Bai Juyi

“Two monks sit facing, playing chess on the mountain, The bamboo shadow on the board is dark and clear. Not a person sees the bamboo's shadow, One sometimes hears the pieces being moved.”

Persons Two Sometimes Dark Clear Pieces Mountain Shadow Moved Winter Chess Boards Taoism Autumn Monk Playing Chess Bamboo

Author:Bai Juyi

“A springlike autumn's balmy breeze reaches afar. The sun shines on the house of a recluse South of the river; They encourage the December apricots To burst into bloom: A simplehearted person Faces the simplehearted flowers.”

Persons Faces House Sun Flower Rivers Shining South Winter Taoism Autumn Breeze December Afar Sun Shines Recluse Shine On Apricots

Author:Sun Bu'er

“Cut brambles long enough, Sprout after sprout, And the lotus will bloom Of its own accord: Already waiting in the clearing, The single image of light. The day you see this, That day you will become it.”

Long Enough Light Waiting Cutting Reflection Taoism Accord Clearing Sprouts Lotuses

Author:Sun Bu'er

“The relic from before birth Enters one's heart one day. Be as careful as if you were holding a full vessel, Be as gentle as if you were caressing an infant. The gate of earth should be shut tight, The portals of heaven should be first opened. Wash the yellow sprouts clean, And atop the mountain is thunder shaking the earth.”

Ifs Should Firsts Heart Earth Heaven Meditation Birth One Day Mountain Clean Careful Gentle Taoism Gates Yellow Thunder Infant Vessel Shaking Portal Relics Sprouts

Author:Sun Bu'er

“Taoism ... is the Religion of the Tao, a term meaning Path or Way, but denoting in this peculiar case the way, course or movement of the Universe, her processes and methods. In other words, Taoism is the Religion of Heaven and Earth, of the Cosmos, of the World or Nature in the broadest sense of these words. Hence we may call it Naturism.”

World Way May Earth Universe Courses Heaven Process Term Cases Path Movement Method Cosmos Taoism Peculiar Tao Heaven And Earth

Book:The Religious System of China: Its Ancient Forms, Evolution, History and Present Aspects, Manners, Custom and Social Institutions Connected Therewith

Source: The Religious System of China: Its Ancient Forms, Evolution, History and Present Aspects, Manners, Custom and Social Institutions Connected Therewith

“What we mean by Tao is the way or course of Nature. This way has nothing good or bad, it is a mere flowing of things following the development and decline attributes of the moment.”

Way Mean Moments Courses Development Mere Following Taoism Attributes Decline Tao

Author:Jian Yang

“When your mind is empty of prejudices you can see the Tao. When your heart is empty of desires you can follow the Tao.”

Mind Heart Desire Empty Prejudice Taoism Tao

Author:Lu Jun Hong

“Lao-tze's Taoism is the exhibition of a way or method of living which men should cultivate as the highest and purest development of their nature.”

Men Way Should Development Highest Method Taoism Exhibitions Laos

Author:James Legge

“The Great Tao flows everywhere, to the left and to the right, all things depend on it to exist, and it does not abandon them. To its accomplishments it lays no claims. It loves and nourished all things, but does not lord it over them.”

Inspirational Doe Left Lord Depends Flow All Things Claims Lays Accomplishment Taoism Abandon Tao

Author:Laozi

“The mark of a moderate man is freedom from his own ideas. Tolerant like the sky, all-pervading like sunlight, firm like a mountain, supple like a tree in the wind, he has no destination in view and makes use of anything life happens to bring his way.”

Men Way Inspirational Ideas Use Happens Views Tree Sky Wind Mountain Mark Firm Taoism Destination Sunlight Moderates Tao Te Ching Leadership Life Happens Tao Te Ching Tao Ching Supple

Author:Laozi

“Different Chinese philosophers, writing probably in 5-4 centuries B.C., presented some major ideas and a way of life that are nowadays known under the name of Taoism, the way of correspondence between man and the tendency or the course of natural world.”

Men World Way Writing Ideas Different Courses Names Natural Known Century Majors Philosopher Tendencies Chinese Taoism Natural World Correspondence Chinese Philosopher

Author:Alan Watts

“In ordinary life, we are not aware of the unity of all things, but divide the world into separate objects and events. This division is useful and necessary to cope with our everyday environment, but it is not a fundamental feature of reality. It is an abstraction devised by our discriminating and categorising intellect. To believe that our abstract concepts of separate 'things' and 'events' are realities of nature is an illusion.”

“The more you know the less you understand.”

Knows Spiritual Taoism Monk Aboriginal Spiritual Beings Silence Speaks Tao Te Ching Mental Power Mlm Lack Of Empathy Book Of Tao Patagonia

Author:Laozi

“Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know. Close your mouth, block off your senses, blunt your sharpness, untie your knots, soften your glare, settle your dust. This is the primal identity. Be like the Tao. It can't be approached or withdrawn from, benefited or harmed, honored or brought into disgrace. It gives itself up continually. That is why it endures.”

Knows Giving Identity Mouths Endure Senses Block Dust Settling Taoism Honored Tao Disgrace Primal Knots Blunt Glare Tao Te Ching Leadership Tao Te Ching Tao Ching Sharpness

Author:Laozi

“People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.”

People Difficult Too Much Taoism

Book:The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu

Source: The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu

“Goodness in words creates trust, goodness in thinking creates depth, goodness in giving creates love.”

Thinking Giving Goodness Depth Taoism

Author:Laozi

“The more laws that are written, the more criminals are produced.”

Law Written Criminals Taoism

Author:Laozi

“A tree that can fill the span of a man's arms grows from a downy tip; A terrace nine stories high rises from level earth; A journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath one's feet.”

Men Stories Earth Grows Levels Tree Journey Feet Arms Thousand Miles Nine Taoism Thousand Miles Enigmatic Terrace Journey Of A Thousand Miles

Author:Laozi

“An ancient gnarled tree: Too fibrous for a logger's saw, Too twisted to fit a carpenter's square, Outlasts the whole forest.”

Whole Saws Tree Fit Ancient Forests Taoism Squares Twisted Carpenter

Book:365 Tao: Daily Meditations

Source: 365 Tao: Daily Meditations

“If you want to nourish a bird, you should let it live any way it chooses. Creatures differ because they have different likes and dislikes. Therefore the sages never require the same ability from all creatures. . . concepts of right should be founded on what is suitable. The true saint leaves wisdom to the ants, takes a cue from the fishes, and leaves willfulness to the sheep.”

Ifs Way Want Should Different Ability Creatures Bird Concepts Saint Fishes Likes Taoism Dislike Sheep Sage Ants Suitable Likes And Dislikes Willfulness

Author:Zhuangzi

“Why is the tao so valuable? Because it is everywhere, and everyone can use it. This is why those who seek will find, And those who reform will be forgiven; Why the good will be rewarded, And the thief who is cunning will escape.”

Use Valuable Reform Taoism Thieves Forgiven Tao Cunning Good Will

Author:Laozi

“Without the tao, Kindness and compassion are replaced by law and justice; Faith and trust are supplanted by ritual and ceremony.”

Law Justice Compassion Kindness Taoism Ritual Replaced Tao Ceremony Kindness And Compassion Law And Justice

Author:Laozi

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

House Space Woods Taoism Hammers Emptiness Inside

Author:Laozi

“All men desire to free themselves solely from death; they do not know how to free themselves from life.”

Knows Men Desire Know How Taoism

Author:Laozi

“If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation.”

Ifs Mind Universe Water Creation Mirrors Taoism Faculty Stillness Sage Repose Lucidity

Book:Teachings and Sayings of Chuang Tzu

Source: Teachings and Sayings of Chuang Tzu

“If you scramble about in search of inner peace, you will lose your inner peace.”

Ifs Loses Inner Peace Taoism

Book:Hua Hu Ching: Teachings of Lao Tzu

Source: Hua Hu Ching: Teachings of Lao Tzu

“Heaven and Earth last for ever. Why do Heaven and Earth last for ever? They are unborn, so ever living. The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead. He is detached, thus at one with all. Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.”

Action Earth Lasts Heaven Behinds Fulfillment Taoism Selfless Sage Unborn Detached Heaven And Earth

Book:道德经

Source: 道德经

“Do you think you can make the world a better place? I do not think you can. It is already perfect.”

Thinking World Perfect Taoism Better Place

Author:Laozi

“When you are one with loss, the loss is experienced willingly.”

Loss Taoism Tao Ching

Book:道德经

Source: 道德经

“The truest sayings are paradoxical.”

Taoism Truest Paradoxical

Author:Laozi

“The Master views the parts with compassion, because he understands the whole. His constant practice is humility. He doesn't glitter like a jewel but lets himself be shaped by the Tao, as rugged and common as a stone.”

Whole Views Common Compassion Practice Humility Masters Stones Constant Taoism Tao Jewels Glitter Rugged

Author:Laozi

“So the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants.”

Want Soul Taoism

Author:Laozi

“Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts, and the world will govern itself.”

World Trying Plans Letting Go Concepts Fixed Taoism Stop Trying Tao Te Ching Leadership Tao Ching

Author:Laozi

“To find the Tao, there is nowhere you need to search. If it is not inside you, it is not the Tao.”

Ifs Needs Taoism Tao

Author:Confucius

“Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?”

Thinking Self Arise Taoism Tao Phantoms Hopes And Fears Tao Te Ching Leadership Tao Te Ching Tao Ching Book Of Tao

Author:Laozi

“The essence of Taoism is really expressed by these few words. Taoism is the way of the child, the way of the fool, the way of someone who doesn't need to be noticed.”

Way Needs Children Fool Essence Taoism Few Words

Author:Frederick Lenz

“The primary quality that Lao Tzu seems to emobdy is humility, which is the image of water - seeking the common level of existence.”

Seems Water Levels Common Existence Quality Humility Seeking Primaries Taoism Laos Lao Tzu

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Taoism is the way of water. The most frequent element or symbol refered to in Lao Tzu's wrtings is the symbol of water.”

Way Water Elements Symbols Taoism Laos Lao Tzu

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Water is the symbol of pure consciousness.”

Water Consciousness Pure Symbols Taoism

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Water always seeks the easiest path, the common level of life.”

Water Levels Common Path Taoism Levels Of Life

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Taoism is the gentle way. The path of least resistence.”

Way Path Gentle Taoism

Author:Frederick Lenz

“When it reaches a blockage, water find the easiest path around the blockage, or it continues to assemble, and flows over the blockage.”

Water Path Flow Taoism Blockage

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Water uses itself to go beyond whatever it needs to go beyond.”

Needs Use Water Taoism Uses Of Water

Author:Frederick Lenz

“The Grand Canyon is living evidence of the power of water over a period of time. The power may not manifest immediately. Water can be very powerful, like a tidal wave.”

May Water Powerful Periods Evidence Wave Taoism Manifest Very Powerful Canyons Grand Canyon Tidal Waves

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Lao Tsu says the way of life is water, to be fluid.”

Way Life Is Water Taoism Fluid Laos

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Lao Tsu uses the anology of the tree. The old hard tree breaks and falls when the wind blows. The young tree bends and does not break. He advises us to bend and not to break.”

Doe Hard Use Young Fall Break Tree Wind Blow Taoism Advise Laos

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Wisdom is knowing that if you bend, you don't have to break. Sometimes it is necessary to go with the flow of life.”

Ifs Sometimes Break Knowing Flow Taoism

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Lao Tsu always points a finger directly to us. He says we must begin with ourselves. It's impossible to bring order into the world unless we bring order into ourselves.”

World Order Impossible Fingers Taoism Laos

Author:Frederick Lenz