Lao Tzu
Traced to source
11 quotes we’ve traced to Lao Tzu
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
Verified“He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know”
Verified“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened”
Verified“He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty”
Verified“In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were their rulers. In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves.'”
Verified“The way to do is to be”
Attributed“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want”
Disputed“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage”
Disputed“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love”
Disputed“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished”
Disputed“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
DisputedNot actually Lao Tzu
Often misattributed to Lao Tzu
Famous lines widely pinned on Lao Tzu that we’ve traced to someone else.
“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want”
actually Unknown
“Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream”
actually Aileen Miga & Janice Hughes
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage”
actually Unknown
“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner”
actually Stephen Mitchell
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”
actually Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love”
Unknown — misattributed to Lao Tzu
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality”
actually Vernon Howard
“Silence is a source of great strength”
actually John Heider
“What I hear, I forget. What I say, I remember. What I do, I understand”
actually Xun Kuang (Xunzi)
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be”
actually John Heider
Did they really say it?
Thought Lao Tzu said something else?
Type a quote you think Lao Tzu said — we’ll tell you what we know, or point you to the best sources.