Quotes on Taoism

Because he (the Sage) demands no honor, he will never be dishonored.

Let the country be small, and the inhabitants few.

By moderation one can be generous.

When leading people and serving Heaven, nothing exceeds moderation.

He who holds on to the Way seeks no excess. Since he lacks excess, he can grow old in no need to be renewed.

Those who are content suffer no disgrace.

The sage avoids extremity, excess, and extravagance.

Filling all the way to the brim is not as good as halting in time.

Solve it before it happens. Order it before chaos emerges.

A climb of eight hundred feet starts where the foot stands.

Meet the difficult while it is easy.

Meet the big while it is small.

The sage regards things as difficult, and thereby avoids difficulty.

Those who know when to halt are unharmed.

I do not interfere, and people become rich by themselves.

The highest virtue does nothing. Yet, nothing needs to be done. The lowest virtue does everything. Yet, much remains to be done.

The sage acts by doing nothing.

The value comes from what is there, but the use comes from what is not there.

Make the small big and the few many.

The purest white seems stained.

Sometimes gain comes from losing, and sometimes loss comes from gaining.