Shape clay into a vessel; it is the space within that makes it useful.
The genius in you isn’t seeking confirmation from others, but quiet space for its ideas to blossom.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Wherever I go, there I am.” This means that you’ve always got yourself to deal with, so you should only be concerned with consulting your inner signals.
You must learn to cultivate your own garden and keep your nose out of everybody else’s. If they want to grow rutabagas in it, if they want to use a different kind of fertilizer than you do, if they want to have weeds in it, that’s really none of your business. The important thing is that yours is the way you want it to be.
Take on difficulties while they are still easy; do great things while they are still small.
If you agree too easily, you will be little trusted; because the sage always confronts difficulties, he never experiences them.
The supreme Taoist leader always leaves people to choose and pursue their own way of life, their own conception of the good.
Declare that you’re not going to fight. Don’t fight colds, illnesses, or even serious afflictions. Don’t fight with family members, or against political opinions. Don’t fight addictions, and most important, don’t fight yourself.
Stop fighting, eschew violent thoughts and deeds, and give up trying to control others or the world. Stay humble; don’t interfere; respect your creative genius, as well as that of others; and, above all, return to your invisible Source and shed your troublesome ego while you’re still alive and incarnated as one of the 10,000 things. If you do all of this, you will naturally live a long life in joyful, nonjudgmental peace.
So raise your children to be self-sufficient, to make their own decisions as soon as they’re able, and to feel pride in the decisions they do make.
Take pride in refusing to take credit for the achievements of others.
Instead of hating yourself, develop positive feelings. Learn from the error, and resolve not to repeat it but don’t associate it with your self-worth.
A relationship based on love, as was said earlier, is one in which each partner allows the other to be what he chooses, with no expectations and no demands.
The Tao advises making yourself as invisible as possible if you truly wish to be an effective leader.
It is easy to be a critic, but being a doer requires effort, risk and change.
Happiness, fulfillment, and purpose in life are all inner concepts. If you don’t have inner peace and serenity, then you have nothing.
Divinity is not a fashion. It is the way of life. It is the need of your being, you have to become that.
Fear itself does not exist in the world. There are only fearful thoughts and avoidance behaviors.
Only you can improve your lot or make yourself happy. It is up to you to take control of your own mind, and then practice feeling and behaving in the ways that you choose.
Fully functioning people never complain, and particularly they don’t complain about the rocks being rough, or the sky being cloudy or the ice being too cold. Acceptance means no complaining, and happiness means no complaining about the things over which you can do nothing.
He stays a witness to life, so he endures. Serve the needs of others, and all your own needs will be fulfilled. Through selfless action, fulfillment is attained.