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Who really said it

He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened

Written by Lao Tzu trad. 6th century BC · Chinese sage, reputed author of the Tao Te Ching
Verified In copyright

This is a genuine line from Chapter 33 of the Tao Te Ching — the classical Chinese “知人者智，自知者明” (“to know others is wisdom; to know oneself is enlightenment”). The exact English wording shown is a modern translator’s rendering: it appears verbatim in Ch’u Ta-Kao’s 1937 translation ↗ and, identically, in Wing-Tsit Chan’s 1963 translation ↗.

Last verified 8 Jul 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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Verified quote & credit

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, ch. 33 (trans. Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1937; identical in Wing-Tsit Chan, 1963)

Can you use it?

Still under copyright (rights held by Ch'u Ta-Kao / The Buddhist Society (1937 translation); the identical wording also appears in Wing-Tsit Chan's 1963 translation (Chan estate / publisher)). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.

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In context

Evoking the world of Lao Tzu — Chinese sage · reputed author of the Tao Te Ching. Theme: "He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

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Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Work
Tao Te Ching (道德經), Chapter 33
Author
Attributed to Lao Tzu (Laozi); text now regarded as a compilation
Original
知人者智，自知者明 — classical Chinese, Warring States period
Translation
Ch’u Ta-Kao (1937); identical wording in Wing-Tsit Chan (1963)

He who knows others is wise; He who knows himself is enlightened. He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty. He who knows contentment is rich. He who keeps on his course with energy has will. He who does not deviate from his proper place will long endure. He who may die but not perish has longevity.

Chapter 33 in full, in Ch’u Ta-Kao’s 1937 translation. The famous couplet is the opening pair of lines.

Ch'u Ta-Kao's translation, Tao Te Ching ch. 33

The paper trail

In copyright

The ancient Chinese original is public domain, but the English wording displayed here is a 20th-century translation. It was first published by Ch’u Ta-Kao in 1937 (London, The Buddhist Society) and appears identically in Wing-Tsit Chan’s 1963 version — both post-1930 and by identifiable translators, so the specific rendering is treated as in copyright in the United States. Quote the underlying idea freely; reproducing this exact English phrasing at length may implicate the translators’ rights.

Fact-check

Real quote, modern words

This is not a fake Lao Tzu quote — the thought is squarely Chapter 33 of the Tao Te Ching. The subtlety is that the crisp English one-liner people share is one translator’s choice of words, not an ancient phrase, and it is often passed around with no sense that a 20th-century hand shaped it.

20th-century translators translation, not antiquity

“Wise…enlightened” is a specific rendering. It appears verbatim in Ch’u Ta-Kao (1937) ↗ and Wing-Tsit Chan (1963) ↗, but other standard versions say “discerning,” “clever,” or “intelligent” instead — see the translation comparison ↗.

“Lao Tzu” as a single historical man traditional attribution

Crediting the line to one sage is convention, not established fact: modern scholarship regards Laozi’s biography as later invention ↗ and the Tao Te Ching as a compilation by many hands.

Verdict: a real line from Tao Te Ching ch. 33 ↗, faithfully translated — just remember the memorable English is a modern translator’s, and “Lao Tzu” is a traditional byline.

Context

Why it endures

Chapter 33 sets up a ladder of paradoxes: knowing others versus knowing oneself, conquering others versus conquering oneself. The couplet works because it quietly demotes the achievement the world prizes — understanding and mastering other people — beneath the harder, inward work of self-knowledge.

The line travels well partly because two of its most-reprinted English versions, Ch’u Ta-Kao’s and Wing-Tsit Chan’s, happen to word it identically and memorably, giving the internet a single clean sentence to circulate.

To know others is wisdom; to know oneself is enlightenment.

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Wisdom Humility

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Tao Te Ching ch. 33 — 30+ translations side by sideegreenway.com

Compares how dozens of translators render the couplet, showing which use 'wise...enlightened.'
Wing-Tsit Chan, complete Tao Te Ching (1963)terebess.hu

Full text of Chan's translation, whose ch. 33 matches this wording verbatim.
Ch'u Ta-Kao translation (first published 1937)chaos.org.nz

The earliest translation I could document using this exact 'wise...enlightened' phrasing.
Dao De Jing — Chinese original textctext.org

Classical Chinese source; ch. 33 reads 知人者智，自知者明.
Laozi — biography and authorship debateen.wikipedia.org

Documents that scholars regard Laozi's biography as legend and the text as a compilation.
Ch'u Ta-Kao 1937 first edition (bibliographic record)abebooks.com

Confirms first publication: London, The Buddhist Society, 1937, foreword by Lionel Giles.

The author

About Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu

trad. 6th century BC · Chinese sage · reputed author of the Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu (“Old Master,” also romanized Laozi) is the semi-legendary figure traditionally credited with writing the Tao Te Ching, the foundational text of Taoism. Tradition, following Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian, makes him a 6th-century-BC archivist and elder contemporary of Confucius. Modern scholarship, however, generally treats his biography as later legend and the text as a compilation of Taoist sayings assembled during the Warring States period.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Primary source — Chicago

Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching, ch. 33. Translated by Ch’u Ta-Kao. London: The Buddhist Society, 1937. Identical wording in The Way of Lao Tzu (Tao-te ching), translated by Wing-Tsit Chan (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1963).

MLA (9th ed.)

Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching. Translated by Ch’u Ta-Kao, The Buddhist Society, 1937.

APA (7th ed.)

Lao Tzu. (1937). Tao te ching (Ch’u Ta-Kao, Trans.). The Buddhist Society.

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Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened’?” Last verified 8 Jul 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/he-who-knows-others-is-wise-he-who-knows-himself-is

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