Top 500 Laozi Quotes (2025 Update)
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201. “When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally.”

— Laozi

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

— Laozi

203. “The difficult problems in life always start off being simple. Great affairs always start off being small.”

— Laozi

204. “Cultivate virtue in yourself, and it will be true.”

— Laozi

205. “A good speaker does not stutter.”

— Laozi

206. “When goodness is lost, it is replaced by morality.”

— Laozi

207. “The words of truth are always paradoxical. To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”

— Laozi

208. “Violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself.”

— Laozi

209. “The virtuous carry out the settlement, but those without virtue pursue their claims.”

— Laozi

210. “Can you love or guide someone without any kind of expectation?”

— Laozi

211. “Kindness in words creates confidence.”

— Laozi

212. “All things flourish, and each returns to its source.”

— Laozi

213. “Pain and happiness are simply conditions of the ego. Forget the ego.”

— Laozi

214. “The way to use life is to do nothing through acting, The way to use life is to do everything through being.”

— Laozi

215. “Quiet your mind and stop judging and resisting and manipulating the natural way.”

— Laozi

216. “Those who praise themselves do not prevail.”

— Laozi

217. “Take care of what is difficult while it is still easy, and deal with what will become big while it is yet small.”

— Laozi

218. “Dualistic thinking is a sickness.”

— Laozi

219. “If you would take, you must first give.”

— Laozi

220. “To see things in the seed, that is genius.”

— Laozi

221. “Silence is a source of great strenght.”

— Laozi

222. “It is hidden but always present.”

— Laozi

223. “In the Way of Heaven, there is no partiality of love; it is always on the side of the good man.”

— Laozi

224. “When you are sick of your sickness you will cease to be sick.”

— Laozi

225. “See simplicity in the complicated. Achieve greatness in little things.”

— Laozi

226. “The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’”

— Laozi

227. “Meandering leads to perfection.”

— Laozi

228. “Every human being’s essential nature is perfect and faultless, but after years of immersion in the world we easily forget our roots and take on a counterfeit nature.”

— Laozi

229. “The wise man doesn’t compete; therefore nobody can compete with him.”

— Laozi

230. “Ever desireless, one can see the mystery. Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations. These two spring from the same source but differ in name; this appears as darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gate to all mystery.”

— Laozi

231. “Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles.”

— Laozi

232. “Life is going forth; death is returning home.”

— Laozi

233. “If good happens, good; if bad happens, good.”

— Laozi

234. “Let muddy water stand and it will become clear.”

— Laozi

235. “The good leader carries water for his people.”

— Laozi

236. “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!”

— Laozi

237. “I find good people good And I find bad people good If I am good enough.”

— Laozi

238. “Misfortune is the root of good fortune; good fortune gives birth to misfortune.”

— Laozi

239. “A sound man is good at salvage, at seeing nothing is lost.”

— Laozi

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

— Laozi

241. “Conduct your triumph as a funeral.”

— Laozi

242. “The feminine values are the fountain of bliss. Know the masculine, Keep to the feminine.”

— Laozi

243. “Use the light that is in you to recover your natural clearness of sight.”

— Laozi

244. “Act without expectation.”

— Laozi

245. “Lay plans for the accomplishment of the difficult before it becomes difficult; make something big by starting with it when small.”

— Laozi

246. “I observe myself and I come to know others.”

— Laozi

247. “Without law or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony.”

— Laozi

248. “Good walking leaves no track behind it.”

— Laozi

249. “Nothing on earth is so weak and yielding as water, but for breaking down the firm and strong it has no equal.”

— Laozi

250. “To lead, one must follow.”

— Laozi