All Chapters
Chapter 01 – The Tao That Can Be Told
The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things. Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and...
Read MoreChapter 02 – Being and non-being
When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other. Difficult and easy support each other. Long and short define each other. High and low depend on each other. Before and after...
Read MoreChapter 03 – Not exalting the gifted prevents quarreling
Not exalting the gifted prevents quarreling. Not collecting treasures prevents stealing. Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart. The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies, by weakening ambitions And strengthening bones. If men lack knowledge and desire,...
Read MoreChapter 04 – Tao is like a well
The Tao is like a well used but never used up. It is like the eternal void: filled with infinite possibilities. It is hidden but always present. I don’t know who gave birth to it. It is older than God. Support Author: Stephen Mitchell Get your copy of this Translation here: Tao Te...
Read MoreChapter 05 – Heaven and earth are not like humans
Heaven and earth are not like humans. The Tao does not act like a human. They don’t expect to be thanked for making life, so they view it without expectation. Heaven and earth are like a pair of bellows: they are empty, and yet they can never be exhausted. Work them, and they produce more and...
Read MoreChapter 06- Tao is called the Great Mother
The Tao is called the Great Mother: empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds. It is always present within you. You can use it any way you want. Support Author: Stephen Mitchell Get your copy of here: Tao Te Ching...
Read MoreChapter 07 – Heaven and earth are enduring.
Heaven and earth are enduring. The universe can live for ever, because it does not live for itself. And so both last – outliving themselves. The sage guides his people by putting himself last. Desiring nothing for himself. he knows how to channel desires. And is it not because he wants...
Read MoreChapter 08 – The highest goodness, water-like
The highest goodness, water-like, Does good to everything and goes Unmurmuring to places men despise; But so, is close in nature to the Way. If the good of the house is from land, Or the good of the mind is depth, Or love is the virtue of friendship, Or honesty blesses one’s talk, Or in...
Read MoreChapter 09 – Better stop short than fill to the brim.
Better stop short than fill to the brim. Over sharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt. Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it. Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow. Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven. Support Author: Stephen...
Read MoreChapter 09 – Filling to fullness is not as good as stopping at the right moment
Filling to fullness is not as good as stopping at the right moment. Oversharpening a blade causes its edge to be lost. Line your home with treasures and you won’t be able to defend it. Amass possessions, establish positions, display your pride: Soon enough disaster drives you to...
Read MoreChapter 10 – Can you center your energy, be soft tender, and so learn to be a baby?
Can you keep your soul in its body, hold fast to the one, and so learn to be whole? Can you center your energy, be soft, tender, and so learn to be a baby? Can you keep the deep water still and clear, so it reflects without blurring? Can you love people and run things, and do so by not...
Read MoreChapter 11 – Thirty spokes join at a hub
Thirty spokes join at a hub: their use for the cart is where they are not. When the potter’s wheel makes a pot, the use of the pot is precisely where there is nothing. When you open the doors and windows for a room, it is where there is nothing that they are useful to the...
Read MoreChapter 12 – The five colors blind the eye
The five colors blind the eye. The five tones deafen the ear. The five flavors dull the taste. Racing and hunting madden the mind. Precious things lead one astray. Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees. He lets go of that and chooses this. Support Authors: Gia-Fu...
Read MoreChapter 13 – Accept disgrace willingly
Accept disgrace willingly. Accept misfortune as the human condition. What do you mean by “Accept disgrace willingly”? Accept being unimportant. Do not be concerned with loss or gain. This is called “accepting disgrace willingly.” What do you mean by “Accept misfortune...
Read MoreChapter 14 – That which we look at and cannot see is called plainness.
That which we look at and cannot see is called plainness. That which we listen to and cannot hear is called rareness. That which we grope for and cannot get is called minuteness. These three cannot be closely examined; So they blend into One. Revealed, it is not dazzling; Hidden, it is not dark....
Read MoreChapter 15 – The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.
The ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their appearance. They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest. Fluid as melting...
Read MoreChapter 16 – Attain the climax of emptiness, preserve the utmost quiet
Attain the climax of emptiness, preserve the utmost quiet: as myriad things act in concert, I thereby observe the return. Things flourish, then each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called return to Life, return to Life is called the constant; knowing the...
Read MoreChapter 17 – Preeminent is one whose subjects barely know he exists
Preeminent is one whose subjects barely know he exists; The next is one to whom they feel close and praise; The next is one whom they fear; The lowest is one whom they despise. When the ruler’s trust is wanting, there will be no trust in him. Cautious, he values his words. When his work is...
Read MoreChapter 17 – Who does not trust enough will not be trusted
The very highest if barely known. Then comes that which people know and love. Then that which is feared, Then that which is despised. Who does not trust enough will not be trusted. When actions are performed Without unnecessary speech, People say, “We did it!” Support Authors: Gia-Fu...
Read MoreChapter 18 – When the great Tao is forgotten
When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear. When the body’s intelligence declines, cleverness and knowledge step forth. When there is no peace in the family, filial piety begins. When the country falls into chaos, patriotism is born. Support Author: Stephen...
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