Stillwort

Lao Tzu quotes with context

Laozi is regarded as the founder of Daoism. The Tao Te Ching is attributed to him, a short text in 81 sections about the Dao, the “way”, and about acting without force. Whether he existed as a single historical person is an open question.

With context

  1. What is deeply rooted bends in the wind without breaking.

    Mindfulness

    From the explanation

    Roots and wind together tell a story of strength that can move. Roots provide stability, while the wind brings change. Bending connects the two. A living tree holds its ground while responding to the force that meets it. It offers a useful image for people living through uncertain times.

    The full explanation is in the app.

  2. Whoever knows the essential always finds it.

    Focus

    From the explanation

    What matters most often reveals itself through repetition. An important task returns to your awareness despite full lists. An unresolved conversation reappears in different situations, and a personal value speaks up at every major decision. Recognizing these patterns gives you a path through the noise of everyday life.

    The full explanation is in the app.

30 quotes by Lao Tzu

8 of the 30 quotes are marked as paraphrased: free renderings, not a documented wording.

Stoicism 2

  1. Even the longest journey begins with a single step.

  2. Be like water: yielding but unstoppable.

Mindfulness 17

  1. What you release comes back to you if it belongs to you.

  2. What is allowed to be doesn't need to fight immediately.

    paraphrased

  3. In silence there is more truth than in a thousand words.

  4. A tree doesn't rush and still arrives every year.

    paraphrased

  5. The moment you stop fighting, life begins.

  6. Whoever is quiet inside finds peace outside.

  7. The moment doesn't grow larger, but you can become smaller before it.

    paraphrased

  8. Non-doing is sometimes the most important thing.

  9. When you do nothing everything happens.

  10. The deepest form of strength is gentleness.

  11. The hardest thing is often simply to do nothing.

  12. A single conscious breath can show how far away you've been.

    paraphrased

  13. When you hold on to nothing you lose nothing.

  14. The greatest revelation is silence.

  15. When the heart is quiet the mind is clear.

  16. What you notice begins to transform already.

    paraphrased

  17. What you truly need you usually already have.

Gratitude 4

  1. What grows silently grows most deeply.

  2. The inconspicuous carries the precious.

  3. Whoever understands the small need not search for the large.

  4. What you know lies closer than you think, and is more than you know.

Focus 5

  1. A person without direction calls every movement progress.

    paraphrased

  2. It doesn't get easier with more paths but with the right one.

    paraphrased

  3. The essential doesn't ask to be noticed; it waits.

  4. The most powerful is often the simplest.

  5. Indecision is also a decision, just without dignity.

    paraphrased

About Lao Tzu

From “About Lao Tzu”

Lao Tzu, now usually written Laozi, is not a name in the ordinary sense. The two characters mean Old Master. In the Chinese tradition, they designate three things at once: a sage, the presumed author of a book, and, much later, a deity.

The full explanation is in the app.

One thought a day.
In the app.

Stillwort has more than 800 quotes in four categories. You can read each one or have it read to you, and selected quotes come with the full explanation.

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