Tales from the Tao Quotes

“Those who know that they have enough are wealthy.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“Water takes whatever shape it finds itself in. It does not judge, it does not complain, it does not try to change things. It is the source of patience. Given time it can wear away stone. Be like water.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“He himself had been quite turbulent in his youth, but a combination of self-cultivation and suffering had changed that.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“It is actually in not doing that we have achieved this wondrous thing, Sire. All we did was create the space for the painting to happen and let it paint itself.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“It is not that you are capable of allowing them to do it to you but that you are incapable of preventing them. What use is it to you to have this effect on people, which is so incompatible with your own peace? If you insist of having an effect, it will unbalance your true nature and to no purpose.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“Who can be still while the muddy water settles? Who can remain still until the time comes for action?”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“In the evening he would sit with me and help to calm my mind and train my breathing. We would sit for hours, exploring deeply the wonders of the inner world of Tao. He became my confidant, my teacher, my counsellor and the best friend I ever had.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“Rule a kingdom as if cooking a small fish,” he once told me. “If you interfere with it too much while cooking, it will fall apart and be inedible.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“All who heard the magical voice of that poor, ragged woman, felt lighter, happier and calmer than they had felt for a long time. Soon everyone had closed their eyes, the better just to listen. The songs went on and on, winding their way down into the people’s minds and hearts, down into the very root of their beings, down to where they were all small and often afraid. It lifted them then and brought them out to the glorious sunlight where they felt happy and safe.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters

“He knew he was often laughed at behind his back, and sometimes to his face. So what? He didn’t care! He knew what he knew and he also knew what he didn’t know and that was enough for him. Still, his fame had spread lately and he was continually being bothered by people seeking the ultimate truth, as if such a thing could ever be conceptualized and put into plain words. Besides, it wasn’t up to him to tell people the “ultimate truth”. He could only share his truth, and even that changed from day to day, just like the ongoing cycles of the seasons.”
― Solala Towler, Tales from the Tao: The Wisdom of the Taoist Masters