1. It isn’t anything, it just IS
2 Start with a little yin, add a little yang and you’ve got the perfect drink
3 Stay on the street, but it’s ok to bounce off the guardrails once in a while
4 Bottomless and the source of all things the Dao is
5 The Dao is impartial to all 10,000 things under the sun and moon
6 The river of the Dao shall never run dry
7 The universe is everlasting, what is the universe—what is not the universe?
8 Use the way to dive into the deepest depths of the spirit ocean
9 The Dao knows when to say when
10 Keep the soul and the spirit within the way
11 There is always something within nothing
12 If you’re too close to the screen, you can’t see the movie
13 Don’t let your boat get blown off-course by the winds of praise or criticism
14 You can’t see it, hear it, or touch it, but it’s there
15 You can understand so much that other people don’t understand you
16 Things come and go and that’s the way it is so what’s with the angst?
17 Talk little, do much
18 Don’t let the unbalanced throw you off balance
19 Keep it simple and stay out of trouble
20 March to your own drummer
21 It’s hidden and obscure but there it is right in front of you
22 The Dao is humble yet still rules the universe
23 It’s nothing yet it’s everything
24 The universe has the last say
25 Calm is the master of anxiety
26 A good traveler is all about the journey, not the destination
27 Sometimes you need yin and sometimes you need yang
28 Return to simplicity
29 Keep an even keel, avoid extremes
30 What opposes the Dao will perish
31 Do what must be done with a docile heart
32 The shape of the way is ever-changing
33 He who conquers himself is the greatest warrior
34 The way ebbs and flows creating and destroying
35 Dao music is house music
36 Be patient; all in good time
37 The Dao never takes action yet nothing is left undone
38 Often, there’s a lot of phony in ceremony
39 Don't try to be a rare gem nor settle for a grain of sand
40 Nature is one big wheel and that wheel will turn
41 It doesn’t take all kinds, but unfortunately we meet them everyday anyway. Learn to adapt
42 In every gain, there is loss and in every loss, there is gain
43 Have the persistence of water
44 Wanting what you have overcomes a lot of grief
45 If you're hot be cool, if you're cool you ain't got nothing to worry about
46 There is no greater mistake than following desire
47 The beginners mind has many possibilities, the experts mind has few
48 Wisdom is discarding a piece of knowledge every day
49 Before making any judgements, imagine walking a mile in the other guy’s shoes
50 Don’t live your life afraid of death
51 Don’t try to force or expect certain outcomes
52 Decrease involvement and live without anxiety
53 Why take fifty flights of steps if you can take the lift
54 Do what should be done and be genuine
55 Try to get along with everybody but everybody might not feel the same
56 Limit judgments, smooth over differences, forgive disagreements, live in peace
57 One can often accomplish much by doing nothing
58 Misfortune often hides behind fortune, fortune lurks within misfortune
59 Show some restraint
60 If you do the right thing, you don’t have to worry about getting caught doing the wrong thing
61 Be persistent like water and wear down that stone
62 Don’t look down on anybody, don’t look up to anybody
63 Deal with the difficult while it is still easy
64 A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step
65 People who are really smart outsmart themselves a lot
66 Because they do not contend, no one in the world can contend with them
67 Compassion, frugality, and humility are three treasures everyone should have
68 A good soldier is not violent, a victor not vengeful, a fighter not angry
69 Do not misunderstand your problem
70 Life really isn’t so hard for most people if they stop complicating things
71 A man has got to know his limitations
72 If you got nothing to lose, you can’t lose anything can you?
73 The wave of the Dao doesn’t ever struggle, it just rolls in.
74 Death can’t scare you if you’re not afraid of it
75 Put away your agenda and just live
76 It’s all about bending but not breaking. You can’t bend if you’re stiff.
77 If you don’t need it, give it away to somebody who does
78 The meek shall inherit the earth after the powerful kill each other
79 Forgive for your own sake, but don’t forget
80 Be a wanderer but never lose touch with your roots
81 Help people if you can, if you can’t, don’t hurt them
I don't claim this to be a direct translation of the Tao Te Ching. Just something to give you an idea of the ideas.
I don't claim this to be a direct translation of the Tao Te Ching. Just something to give you an idea of the ideas.
