Tao Te Ching
The Way of Life

One of the most enduring literature from ancient China is attributed to Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching. For over 2 thousand years they have provided a wisdom that always hold true. Below are a few of my favorite ones.

 

Aphorism 57

Govern the state by being honest.
Wage war by being clever.
Achieve the realm by not meddling.
How do I know it is like that? By this:

The more regulations
the poorer the people.
The more sharp weapons
The more troubled the country.
The cleverer the people
The more distractions.
The wider the knowledge of law,
The more there are thieves and rogues.

So the wise say:

I take no action and the people transform themselves.
I remain still and the people set themselves right.
I don't interfere and the people themselves prosper.
I am free of desires and the people of themselves
Hold to the un-carved block.

 

 

Aphorism 60

Ruling a large state is like boiling a delicate fish.
When the realm is governed by the Way
Malicious influences lose their power.
Or rather they retain their power
But cause the people no harm.
Neither they nor the wise
Cause the people harm.
Since neither harms the people
Their merit is one and the same.

 

 

Aphorism 61

A large state should be the estuary of a river,
Where all the streams of the world come together.
In the coming together of the world
The female overcomes the male by weakness.
Being weak she takes the lower position.
So a large state taking the lower position
Allies itself with a small state.
A small state taking the lower position
Is allied with a large state.
One by taking the lower position allies itself,
The other by taking the lower position is allied.
All the large state wishes
Is to join with and nourish the other.
All the small state wishes
Is for its services to be accepted by the other.
In order to achieve what they wish
The great adopt the lower position.

 

 

Aphorism 63

Do what involves no action.
Promote things without meddling.
Savor what has no flavor.
Make the small, great
And the few, many.
Counter harm with virtue.
Tackle the difficult while it's still easy,
Address the great while it's still small.
Difficult things have easy beginnings,
Great things have small beginnings.
Because the wise never try to be great,
That is how they achieve greatness.
Rash promises are rarely fulfilled.
Thinking things easy makes them difficult.
The wise treat things as if they were difficult.
And so are not overcome by difficulties.

 

 

Aphorism 76

We are supple and weak when born,
And hard and stiff when dead.
Trees and grass are supple and tender shoots,
But dry and withered when dead.
The hard and stiff are companions of death.
The supple and weak are companions of life.

The stiffly held weapon will not conquer.
Hard wood will fall to the ax.
The tall and stiff is of inferior rank.
The supple and weak is of superior rank.