Lao Tzu c. 571 BC – c. 471 BC
Lao Tzu (c. 571 BC – c. 471 BC) was a Chinese philosopher of the Ancient era, associated with Taoism.
Lao Tzu, traditionally regarded as the founder of philosophical Taoism, is the legendary author of the Tao Te Ching, one of the most translated works of world literature. Modern scholarship treats Lao Tzu as a partly or wholly legendary figure and the Tao Te Ching as a compilation that took shape in roughly the fourth century BC. The text articulates the central Taoist ideas of the Tao, or the Way, of wu wei or effortless action, and of the cultivation of simplicity and humility as foundations of wisdom and political order. Taoism became one of the three major schools of classical Chinese thought alongside Confucianism and Buddhism. Lao Tzu's influence extends throughout Chinese philosophy, art, and political thought, and into 20th-century Western philosophy and counterculture.
Lao Tzu (Laozi, literally Old Master) is the traditional author of the Daodejing, the foundational text of philosophical Daoism. His historical existence is uncertain: the Han historian Sima Qian gives several incompatible accounts, including one in which Lao Tzu was an older contemporary of Confucius and another that conflates him with later figures. Modern scholarship treats the Daodejing as a composite text compiled in the fourth and third centuries BC.
The Daodejing — the Classic of the Way and Its Power — consists of eighty-one short, gnomic chapters that resist systematic exposition. The text presents the dao as prior to all distinctions, wordless, and accessible only through wu-wei, the unforced action of the sage who has emptied himself of conventional ambition. The political teaching is one of minimal, non-coercive rulership; the spiritual teaching is one of return to natural simplicity.
The Daodejing has been translated into English more often than any text except the Bible. Its influence on Chinese philosophy, art, statecraft, and contemplative practice is foundational, and through the work of Suzuki, Watts, and others it has shaped Western reception of Asian thought since the twentieth century.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Chinese
- Era
- Ancient
- Movements
- Taoism
Selected quotes
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“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 -
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17 -
Attributed to Lao Tzu:
“The best fighter is never angry.”
Lao Tzu by topic
Lao Tzu vs other philosophers
Three-way comparisons including Lao Tzu
Frequently asked about Lao Tzu
- When did Lao Tzu live?
- Lao Tzu was born in c. 571 BC and died in c. 471 BC.
- Where was Lao Tzu from?
- Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher of the Ancient era.
- What philosophical movements is Lao Tzu associated with?
- Lao Tzu was associated with Taoism.
- What was Lao Tzu known for?
- Lao Tzu, traditionally regarded as the founder of philosophical Taoism, is the legendary author of the Tao Te Ching, one of the most translated works of world literature.
- How many quotes are attributed to Lao Tzu?
- There are 31 attributed quotations from Lao Tzu in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.
Quotes that are not actually from Lao Tzu
These lines are widely circulated as Lao Tzu, but they do not appear in Lao Tzu's works. Each entry below identifies the actual source.
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“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
This chain-aphorism has been attributed at various times to Lao Tzu, the Buddha, Confucius, Frank Outlaw, and Margaret Thatcher's father. The earliest verifiable English-language appearance is from the 1970s in American self-help literature. None of the classical Eastern philosophical texts contains it, and there is no Chinese, Pali, or Sanskrit original.
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“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
This saying does not appear in the Pali Canon, the Daodejing, the Analects, or any other classical Asian source. Its earliest verifiable appearances are in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Theosophical literature, particularly the writings of Madame Blavatsky's circle. Subsequent New Age writers attached it to various Asian sages, but no pre-modern source has been traced.
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“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This quote's origin is actually unknown (see "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" on Wiktionary ). This quotation has also been misattributed to Confucius and Guan Zhong .
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“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
Attributed to Laozi in self-help books and on social media, this quotation is of unknown origin and date.
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“What I hear, I forget. What I say, I remember. What I do, I understand.”
This quotation has also been misattributed to Confucius. Tell me and I [will] forget. Show me and I [will] remember. Involve me and I [will] understand. 不聞不若聞之，聞之不若見之，見之不若知之，知之不若行之；學至於行之而止矣 From Xun Zi 荀子
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“This quotation has also been misattributed to Confucius.”
Tell me and I [will] forget. Show me and I [will] remember. Involve me and I [will] understand. 不聞不若聞之，聞之不若見之，見之不若知之，知之不若行之；學至於行之而止矣 From Xun Zi 荀子
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“When the center does not hold, the circle falls apart.”
This is a paraphrase of lines in " The Second Coming " by William Butler Yeats .
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“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
This quotation's origin is actually unknown, however it is not found in the Dao De Jing. 生命是一连串的自发的自然变化。逆流而动只会徒增伤悲。接受现实，万物自然循着规律发展。
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“Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner.”
Also: "Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner" Also: "If you care what people think, you will always be their prisoner" Appears in Stephen Mitchell's rendering into English of Tao Te Ching chapter 9; but this is an interpretation of Mitchell's which does not appear in the original text or other recognized English translations. Repeated without attribution in Gilliland, Hide Your Goat , a positive thinking book published in 2013.
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“When I am anxious it is because I am living in the future. When I am depressed it is because I am living in the past.”
Attributed to "Jimmy R." in Days of Healing, Days of Joy (1987)
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“"Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. With the best leaders when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will say, "We have done this ourselves."”
Only the final bold section is connected to Laozi (see Ch. 17 of Tao Te Ching above). The origin of the added first section is unclear.