StoaThe mindsLao Tzu
6th century BCE (traditional) · China

Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu is the half-legendary founder of Taoism, traditionally the keeper of the archives in the Zhou court. He is said to have written the Tao Te Ching, eighty-one short, paradoxical verses, before leaving civilisation behind. It teaches the Tao, the Way that underlies everything and cannot be put into words, and wu wei, action through non-forcing: like water, which yields to everything and yet wears down stone.

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

Lao Tzu — Tao Te Ching, 64

Core ideas

The Tao: the unnameable way of thingsWu wei: effortless action, not forcingSoftness overcomes hardness; the weak overcomes the strong

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