Kenneth Busch > Kenneth's Quotes

“he who overcomes himself is mighty.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Other call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“As to the roaming of sages,
They move in utter emptiness,
Let their minds meander in the great nothingness;
They run beyond convention
And go through where there is no gateway.
They listen to the soundless
And look at the formless,
They are not constrained by society
And not bound to its customs.
- Lao-tzu”
― Lao Tzu

“If you do not value rare treasures, you will stop others from stealing.”
― Lao Tzu

“A bad man is a good man's job”
― Laozi, The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary

“Our enemies are not demons, but human beings like ourselves”
― Laozi

“To know and yet (think) we do not know is the highest (attainment); not to know (and yet think) we do know is a disease.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“With few there is attainment. With much there is confusion.”
― Lao Tzu

“He who knows he has enough is rich. Perseverance is a sign of will power. He who stays where he is endures. To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.”
― Lao Tzu

“Always without desire we must be found,”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“The Tao doesn't take sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master doesn't take sides;
she welcomes both saints and sinners.

The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.

Hold on to the center.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.”
― Lao-Tzu

“If the people must be ever fearful of death, then there will always be an executioner.”
― Lao Tzu

“When the highest type of men hear Tao,
They diligently practice it.
When the average type of men hear Tao,
They half believe in it.
When the lowest type of men hear Tao,
They laugh heartily at it.
Without the laugh, there is no Tao”
― Lao Tzu

“Figure out the rhythm of life and live in harmony with it.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Teh Ching

“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
― Lao Tzu

“Is it not through her selflessness that she is able to perfect herself?”
― Lao Tzu

“If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
― Lao Tzu

“To lead the people, walk behind them.”
― Laozi

“Composure is the ruler of instability.”
― Lao Tzu

“There are few in the world who attain to the teaching without words, and the advantage arising from non-action.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“Thus it is said:
The path into light seems dark,
the path forward seems to go back,
the direct path seems long,
true power seems weak...
the greatest love seems indifferent,
the greatest wisdom seems childish.”
― Laozi

“The Formless Way
We look at it, and do not see it; it is invisible.
We listen to it, and do not hear it; it is inaudible.
We touch it, and do not feel it; it is intangible.
These three elude our inquiries, and hence merge into one.

Not by its rising, is it bright,
nor by its sinking, is it dark.
Infinite and eternal, it cannot be defined.
It returns to nothingness.
This is the form of the formless, being in non-being.
It is nebulous and elusive.

Meet it, and you do not see its beginning.
Follow it, and you do not see its end.
Stay with the ancient Way
in order to master what is present.
Knowing the primeval beginning is the essence of the Way.”
― Tao Te Ching - Translated by S. Beck

“If I had just a little bit of wisdom I should walk the great path and fear only straying from it.”
― Lao Tzu

“Nothingness and Beingness are merely conceptions...”
― Lao Tzu

“When men lost their understanding of the Tao, intelligence came along, bringing hypocrisy with it.”
― Lao Tzu

“It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to carry it when it is full.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“When you are at one with loss, the loss is experienced willingly.”
― Lao Tzu

“Those who understand others are intelligent
Those who understand themselves are enlightened

Those who overcome others have strength
Those who overcome themselves are powerful

Those who know contentment are wealthy
Those who proceed vigorously have willpower

Those who do not lose their base endure
Those who die but do not perish have longevity”
― Lao Tzu