Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpeni… - Laozi

" "
Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

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

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Shorter versions of this quote

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.

Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.

Originators like Laozi:

The Buddha Confucius Zhuang Zhou Bruce Lee Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Additional quotes by Laozi

Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of
softness overcoming hardness.

The Tao is like a bellows: it is empty yet infinitely capable. The more you use it, the more it produces; the more you talk of it, the less you understand.

Would you like to save the world from the degradation and destruction it seems destined for? Then step away from shallow mass movements and quietly go to work on your own self-awareness. If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never … - Laozi

About Laozi

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