Tzu Tzu Quotes

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.

Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.

Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.

The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image.

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.

Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.

The best fighter is never angry.

If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.

Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.

Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.

Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win

Silence is a source of Great Strength.

The flame that burns Twice as bright burns half as long.

Stop thinking, and end your problems.

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.

Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires.

The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.

All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

A leader is best When people barely know he exists Of a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will say, “We did this ourselves.

To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.

Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.

Act without expectation.

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment

There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.

Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.

Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.

If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.

Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.

Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.

Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.

When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.

If you understand others you are smart. If you understand yourself you are illuminated. If you overcome others you are powerful. If you overcome yourself you have strength. If you know how to be satisfied you are rich. If you can act with vigor, you have a will. If you don't lose your objectives you can be long-lasting. If you die without loss, you are eternal.

To know that you do not know is the best. To think you know when you do not is a disease. Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it.

The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know.

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.

Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself.

who wishes to fight must first count the cost

Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it.

When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.

To understand the limitation of things, desire them.

If a person seems wicked, do not cast him away. Awaken him with your words, elevate him with your deeds, repay his injury with your kindness. Do not cast him away; cast away his wickedness.

Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.

By letting go it all gets done.

If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.

To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders.

The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish without show, accomplish without arrogance, accomplish without grabbing, accomplish without forcing.

If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected .

know yourself and you will win all battles

To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.

Be extremely subtle even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.

I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.

Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see. Stop running away and you will be found.

The further one goes, the less one knows.

I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.

Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.

The wise warrior avoids the battle.

Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.

all streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. humility gives it its power. if you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them. if you want to lead the people, you must learn how to follow them.

Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.

Loss is not as bad as wanting more.

The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.

The Way to do is to be.

He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.

So the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants.

Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here.

Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.

When there is no desire, all things are at peace.

When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad.

What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.

Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: 1 He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. 2 He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. 3 He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. 4 He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. 5 He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.

There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen. There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.

To lead people, walk beside them ... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate ... When the best leader's work is done the people say, We did it ourselves!

She does not show herself, and therefore is apparent. She does not affirm herself, and therefore is acknowledged. She does not boast and therefore has merit. She does not strive and therefore is successful. It is exactly because she does not contend, that nobody can contend with her.

Love Embracing Tao, you become embraced. Supple, breathing gently, you become reborn. Clearing your vision, you become clear. Nurturing your beloved, you become impartial. Opening your heart, you become accepted. Accepting the World, you embrace Tao. Bearing and nurturing, Creating but not owning, Giving without demanding, Controlling without authority, This is love.

Stop thinking, and end your problems. What difference between yes and no? What difference between success and failure? Must you value what others value, avoid what others avoid? How ridiculous! Other people are excited, as though they were at a parade. I alone don't care, I alone am expressionless, like an infant before it can smile. Other people have what they need; I alone possess nothing. I alone drift about, like someone without a home. I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty. Other people are bright; I alone am dark. Other people are sharp; I alone am dull. Other people have purpose; I alone don't know. I drift like a wave on the ocean, I blow as aimless as the wind. I am different from ordinary people. I drink from the Great Mother's breasts.