← Back to quotes

42

"Way-making (dao) gives rise to continuity, Continuity gives rise to difference, Difference gives rise to plurality, And plurality gives rise to the manifold of everything that is happening (wanwu). Everything carries yin on its shoulders and yang in its arms And blends these vital energies (qi) together to make them harmonious (he). There is nothing in the world disliked more Than the thought of being friendless, unworthy, and inept, And yet kings and dukes use just such terms to refer to themselves. For things, sometimes less is more, And sometimes, more is less. Thus, as for what other people are teaching, I will think about what they have to say, and then teach it to others. For example: “Those who are coercive and violent do not meet their natural end”— I am going to take this statement as my precept."

Author

Lao Tzu

All Translations

English

"Way-making (dao) gives rise to continuity, Continuity gives rise to difference, Difference gives rise to plurality, And plurality gives rise to the manifold of everything that is happening (wanwu). Everything carries yin on its shoulders and yang in its arms And blends these vital energies (qi) together to make them harmonious (he). There is nothing in the world disliked more Than the thought of being friendless, unworthy, and inept, And yet kings and dukes use just such terms to refer to themselves. For things, sometimes less is more, And sometimes, more is less. Thus, as for what other people are teaching, I will think about what they have to say, and then teach it to others. For example: “Those who are coercive and violent do not meet their natural end”— I am going to take this statement as my precept."

Loading…
Loading the web debug toolbar…
Attempt #