Inspirational Quotes by Zhiming Yuan

“The effects of simplicity are profound indeed, deep and far reaching.”

“The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray.”

“The way that is bright seems dull. The way forward seems to lead back. The smooth way seems rough. The highest virtue seems a valley. The purest whiteness seems stained. Excessive virtue seems defective. Solid virtue seems inactive.”

“Solo cuando nos cansamos de nuestra enfermedad, dejamos de estar enfermos.”

“The wise attend to the inner truth of things and are not fooled by outward appearances. They ignore matter and seek the spirit.”

“The Tao is by nature immaterial, yet all the world calls it great. It is because the Tao does not put on appearances that it is great.”

“He is free from self-display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and therefore he is distinguished; from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged; from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority.”

“Stop trying to imitate what the sages have done. That's past, and though it might have been appropriate at the time, that time is over. The present is alive. Don't use what's dead as a guide to what's alive.”

“When well-matched armies come to conflict, the one that is aware of its own weakness conquers.”

“People usually fail when they are on the verge of success. So give as much care to the end as to the beginning; Then there will be no failure.”

“The wise wear plain clothes and keeps their gems out of sight.”

“To know that there are some things you cannot know is wisdom.”

“Heaven aids and protects Through compassion.”

“A tree too big to embrace Is born from a slender shoot. A nine-storey tower Rises from a pile of earth. A thousand-mile journey Begins with a single step.”

“The wise recognize the limits of their knowledge; the foolish think they know everything.”

“Gentle flexibility is the way of the humble master”

“You don’t have to go out the door to know what goes on in the world. You don’t have to look out the window to see the way of heaven. The farther you go, the less you know. So the wise soul doesn’t go, but knows; doesn’t look, but sees; doesn’t do, but gets it done.”

“The Tao is divine. The Tao is the Eternal. Death is not to be feared.”

“A living being is tender and flexible; a corpse is hard and stiff. It is the same with everything— leaves and grasses are tender and delicate, but when they die they become rigid and dry. Those who are hard and inflexible belong to death’s domain; but the gentle and flexible belong to life.”

“It is virtuous to keep one’s obligations, but the wise go beyond this— they do not insist on their rights, but forgive the debts of those who owe them. They know that the Tao will reward them for staying out of court.”