1001Philosophers

Confucius vs Lao Tzu

Confucius and Lao Tzu are the two foundational figures of Chinese philosophy, the founders of Confucianism and Daoism respectively. Their schools have offered competing accounts of the good life and good government for more than two and a half thousand years.

At a glance

ConfuciusLao Tzu
Dates551 BC – 479 BCc. 571 BC – c. 471 BC
NationalityChineseChinese
EraAncientAncient
Movements Confucianism Taoism
Profile Confucius → Lao Tzu →

Where they agree

Both held that there is a way (dao) according to which human life should be lived, both held that this way is not a matter of explicit rule-following but of cultivated disposition, and both treated political authority as legitimate only insofar as it accords with the right way. Both responded to the disorder of the Spring and Autumn period with proposals for individual and political renewal.

Where they disagree

Confucius held that the way is the way of the ancient sage-kings, accessible through ritual, study, and the cultivation of humanness (ren) within stable social roles. Lao Tzu held the contrary: the way of the sage-kings is itself a fall from the true way, which is wordless, prior to all distinctions, and accessible only through wu-wei, non-coercive action. Where Confucius cultivates social virtue through study, Lao Tzu cultivates spontaneity by unlearning. The tension between Confucian and Daoist sensibilities runs through all of subsequent Chinese philosophy.

Representative quotes

Confucius

  • “Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself.”

    己所不欲，勿施於人

  • “Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.”

    學而不思則罔，思而不學則殆。

  • “The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”

    君子欲訥於言而敏於行。

Lao Tzu

  • “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

    Tao Te Ching, Chapter 64

  • “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”

    interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992) | Variant translation by Lin Yutang : "He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise".

  • “Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”

    Tao Te Ching, Chapter 56

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