The way you can go isn't the real way. The name you can say… - Laozi

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The way you can go isn't the real way. The name you can say isn't the real name. Heaven and earth begin in the unnamed: name's the mother of the ten thousand things. So the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants. Two things, one origin, but different in name, whose identity is mystery. Mystery of all mysteries! The door to the hidden.

Laozi

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About Laozi

老子 Lǎozi (c. 6th – 5th century BC) was a Chinese monist philosopher; also called Lao Zi, Lao Tzu, Lao Tse, or Lao Tze. The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: Dào Dé Jīng, or Dao De Jing) represents the sole document generally attributed to Laozi.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Pen Names: Dan Li • Er Li • Tan Li

Alternative Names: Ancient Boy • Ancient Master • Old Boy • Old Lord • Old Master • Sage Ancestor • Venerable Master • Hsuan Yuan Huang Ti • Hsuan Yuan Huang-ti • Hsuan-yuan Huang-ti • Lao Chun • Lao Chun Tzu • Lao Chun-tzu • Lao Dan • Lao Jun • Lao Jun Zi • Lao Junzi • Lao Kiune • Lao Tan • Lao Tse • Lao Tsee • Lao Tseu • Lao Tsu • Lao Tze • Lao Tzse • Lao Tzu • Lao Tzŭ • Lao zi • Lao ʒze • Lao-chene-tsee • Lao-chun • Lao-chun-tzu • Lao-kiune • Lao-tan • Lao-tse • Lao-tsee • Lao-tsu • Lao-tze • Lao-tzse • Lao-tzu • Lao-tzŭ • Lao-ʒze • Laochun • Laocius • Laodan • Laojun • Laojunzi • Laotan • Laotse • Laotsee • Laotsu • Laotze • Laotzse • Laotzu • Laotzŭ • Li Boyang • Li Dan • Li Er • Li Erh • Li Po-yang • Li Tan • Lâo ʒze • Lâo-ʒze • Sheng Tsu Kao Shang Ta Tao Chin Ch'ueh Hsuan Yuan T'ien Huang Ta Ti • Sheng Tsu Kao Shang Ta Tao Chin Ch'üeh Hsüan Yüan T'ien Huang Ta Ti • Sheng Tsu Kao Shang Ta Tao Chin Chueh Hsuan Yuan Tien Huang Ta Ti • Sheng Tsu Kao Shang Ta Tao Chin Chüeh Hsüan Yüan Tien Huang Ta Ti • Sheng Tsu Ta Tao Hsuan Yuan Huang Ti • Sheng Tsu Ta Tao Hsuan Yuan Huang-ti • Sheng Tsu Ta Tao Hsüan Yüan Huang Ti • Sheng Tsu Ta Tao Hsüan Yüan Huang-ti • Sheng-tsu • Sheng-tsu Kao Shang Ta-tao Chin-ch'ueh Hsuan Yuan T'ien-huang Ta-ti • Sheng-tsu Kao Shang Ta-tao Chin-ch'üeh Hsüan Yüan T'ien-huang Ta-ti • Sheng-tsu Kao Shang Ta-tao Chin-chueh Hsuan Yuan Tien-huang Ta-ti • Sheng-tsu Kao Shang Ta-tao Chin-chüeh Hsüan Yüan Tien-huang Ta-ti • Sheng-tsu Kao-shang Ta-tao Chin-ch'ueh Hsuan-yuan T'ien-huang Ta-ti • Sheng-tsu Kao-shang Ta-tao Chin-ch'üeh Hsüan-yüan T'ien-huang Ta-ti • Sheng-tsu Kao-shang Ta-tao Chin-chueh Hsuan-yuan Tien-huang Ta-ti • Sheng-tsu Kao-shang Ta-tao Chin-chüeh Hsüan-yüan Tien-huang Ta-ti • Sheng-tsu Ta-tao Hsuan Yuan Huang-ti • Sheng-tsu Ta-tao Hsuan-yuan Huang-ti • Sheng-tsu Ta-tao Hsüan Yüan Huang-ti • Sheng-tsu Ta-tao Hsüan-yüan Huang-ti • Shengzu • Shengzu Dadao Xuan Yuan Huangdi • Shengzu Dadao Xuanyuan Huangdi • Shengzu Gao Shang Dadao Jinque Xuan Yuan Tianhuang Dadi • Shengzu Gaoshang Dadao Jinque Xuanyuan Tianhuang Dadi • T'ai Shang Hsüen Yüan Huang Ti • T'ai Shang Hsüen Yüan Huang-ti • T'ai-shang Hsuan Yuan Huang-ti • T'ai-shang Hsuan-yuan Huang-ti • T'ai-shang Hsüen Yüan Huang-ti • T'ai-shang Hsüen-yüan Huang-ti • Tai Shang Hsuan Yuan Huang Ti • Tai Shang Hsuan Yuan Huang-ti • Tai Shang Hsüen Yüan Huang Ti • Tai Shang Hsüen Yüan Huang-ti • Tai-shang Hsuan Yuan Huang-ti • Tai-shang Hsuan-yuan Huang-ti • Tai-shang Hsüen Yüan Huang-ti • Tai-shang Hsüen-yüan Huang-ti • Taishang Xuan Yuan Huangdi • Taishang Xuanyuan Huangdi • Xuan Yuan Huangdi • Xuanyuan Huangdi

All quotes from Laozi Similar Quotes by other Originators

Shorter versions of this quote

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

Originators like Laozi:

The Buddha Confucius Zhuang Zhou Bruce Lee Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Additional quotes by Laozi

The tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be spoken is not the eternal Name. The nameless is the boundary of Heaven and Earth. The named is the mother of creation. Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery. By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real. Yet mystery and reality emerge from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness born from darkness. The beginning of all understanding.

What is firmly rooted cannot be pulled out.

A great nation is like a great man:
When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He considers those who point out his faults
as his most benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy
as the shadow that he himself casts.

The way you can go isn't the real way. The name you can say isn't the real name. Heaven and earth begin in the unnamed: name's the mother of the ten … - Laozi

About Laozi

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