Inspirational Quotes by Zhiming Yuan

“A sage traveling all day is never far from the supplies in his cart, and however spectacular the views he remains calm and composed.”

“A person who prematurely believes that they comprehend the Tao sees only its external luster, and this is the beginning of delusion.”

“I know hereby what advantage belongs to doing nothing (with a purpose).”

“The pot's use comes from emptiness.”

“The difficulty in governing the people arises from their having much knowledge.”

“When he has cleansed away the most mysterious sights (of his imagination), he can become without a flaw.”

“The getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):—this is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.”

“The Tao Te Ching is partly in prose, partly in verse; but as we define poetry now, not by rhyme and meter but as a patterned intensity of language, the whole thing is poetry. I wanted to catch that poetry, its terse, strange beauty. Most translations have caught meanings in their net, but prosily, letting the beauty slip through. And in poetry, beauty is no ornament; it is the meaning. It is the truth. We have that on good authority.”

“For regulating the human (in our constitution) and rendering the (proper) service to the heavenly, there is nothing like moderation.”

“Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to strive with him.”

“Who can (make) the muddy water (clear)? Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear. Who can secure the condition of rest? Let movement go on, and the condition of rest will gradually arise.”

“The tree too thick to embrace emerges from a seedling. A nine-storey tower rises from a brick. A thousand-mile journey begins under your feet.”

“Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun.”

“We try to grasp it, and do not get hold of it, and we name it 'the Subtle.”

“When the greatness of Tao is present action arises from one’s own heart When the greatness of Tao is absent action comes from the rules of “kindness” and “justice” If you need rules to be kind and just, if you act virtuous, this is a sure sign that virtue is absent Thus we see the great hypocrisy Only when the family loses its harmony do we hear of “dutiful sons” Only when the state is in chaos do we hear of “loyal ministers”

“Make the earth a dwelling place. Cultivate the heart and mind. Practice benevolence. Stand by your word. Govern with equity. Serve skillfully. Act in a timely way, without contentiousness, free of blame.”

“Why is the sea king of a hundred streams? Because it lies below them. This is why the sea is king of a hundred streams.”

“Thirty spokes converge at the hub, but emptiness completes the wheel. Clay is shaped to make a pot, and what’s useful is its emptiness. Carve fine doors and windows, but the room is useful in its emptiness. What is is beneficial, while what is not also proves useful.”

“If its deep mystery we would sound;”

“Therefore he who would administer the kingdom, honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it.”