"People starve. The rulers consume too much with their taxes. That is why people starve."
Taoism quotes
Taoism
545 quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
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Taoism quotes (page 19 of 28)
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"Searching for precious goods leads astray."
"Keeping plenty of gold and jade in the palace makes no one able to defend it."
"When leading people and serving Heaven, nothing exceeds moderation."
"The small is easy to scatter."
"The sage's Way is to act and not to contend."
"A good speaker does not stutter."
"To retreat after a work well done is Heaven's Way."
"Cultivate virtue in yourself, and it will be true."
"I alone am different from the others, because I am nourished by the great mother."
"The sage embraces the one, and is an example to the world."
"I do not know its name. I call it the Way. For the lack of better words I call it great."
"The supreme rulers are hardly known by their subjects. The lesser are loved and praised. The even lesser are feared. The least are despised."
"When the sage stands above people, they are not oppressed. When he leads people, they are not obstructed. The world will exalt him and not grow tired of him."
"The rigid tree will be felled."
"Those who are unswerving have resolve"
"Being a model to the world, eternal virtue will never falter in you, and you return to the boundless."
"A good counter needs no calculator."
"Seal the openings, shut the doors, and until your last day you will not be exhausted. Widen the openings, interfere, and until your last day you will not be safe."
"Although he travels all day, the sage never loses sight of his luggage carts."