Quotations: Taoism

The 15 quotations from the philosophers tied to this movement, each linked to the position it expresses.

Relation

Territory

Laozi7 quotations

Governing a great state is like frying a small fish.

On , their position:

Nothing in the world is softer and weaker than water; yet for attacking what is hard and strong nothing surpasses it.

On , their position:

The Dao does nothing, and yet nothing is left undone.

On , their position:

The Dao that can be named is not the constant Dao.

On , their position:

The human models himself on the earth, the earth on heaven, heaven on the Dao, and the Dao on itself.

On , their position:

The more clever tools there are, the more the state sinks into disorder.

On , their position:

The more laws and edicts there are, the more thieves and robbers multiply.

On , their position:

Zhuangzi8 quotations

How do I know that what I call knowing is not really ignorance, and what I call ignorance not really knowing?

ch. 2 (On the Equality of Things)

On , their position:

I no longer look with my eyes but with my spirit, and the blade follows of itself the natural openings.

ch. 3 (The Secret of Caring for Life)

On , their position:

Life and death follow each other like day and night. Why should I grieve over it?

ch. 18 (Perfect Happiness)

On , their position:

See how the fish come out and dart about at their ease: that is the happiness of fish!

ch. 17 (Autumn Floods)

On , their position:

The perfect sage uses his heart like a mirror: he goes out to meet nothing and welcomes nothing, he responds and does not retain.

ch. 7

On , their position:

The trap is for catching fish: once the fish is caught, the trap is forgotten. Words are for grasping the idea: once the idea is grasped, the words are forgotten.

ch. 26

On , their position:

There is no place where the dao is not.

ch. 22

On , their position:

Whoever uses machines does all his work mechanically; whoever does his work mechanically grows a machine heart.

ch. 12

On , their position: