Laozi quotes: real or not?
Of 31 famous sayings credited to Laozi (Lao Tzu), 11 are in the Dao De Jing, 3 are loose paraphrases of it and 17 are not in it at all. Each page gives the Chinese line, or the nearest one, and says what changed.
In the Dao De Jing
- The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.Genuine: chapter 64
- Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.Genuine: chapter 56
- Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.Genuine: chapter 33
- Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.Genuine: chapter 33
- He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.Genuine: chapter 46
- The highest good is like water.Genuine: chapter 8
- Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.Genuine: chapter 78
- Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small.Genuine: chapter 63
- Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.Genuine: chapter 60
- True words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not true.Genuine: chapter 81
- A leader is best when people barely know he exists.Genuine: chapter 17
Loose paraphrases
Not in the Dao De Jing
- Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.Not in the Dao De Jing
- When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.Not in the Dao De Jing
- To lead people, walk beside them.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner.Not in the Dao De Jing
- New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.Not in the Dao De Jing
- If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the moment.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.Not in the Dao De Jing
- When the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready the teacher will disappear.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.Not in the Dao De Jing
- I am not at all interested in immortality, only in the taste of tea.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Health is the greatest possession.Not in the Dao De Jing
- To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Be careful what you water your dreams with.Not in the Dao De Jing
- Time is a created thing. To say “I don't have time” is like saying “I don't want to.”Not in the Dao De Jing
Sayings that are also Chinese idioms, such as 知足常乐 or 天网恢恢, are checked on their own pages: see the idioms from the Dao De Jing.