Tao Te Ching: My Absolute Favorite Chapters

By far, my favorite chapters of the Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu are chapters 48, 63, and 81.

Chapter 48

"One who seeks knowledge learns something new every day. One who seeks the Tao unlearns something new every day. Less and less remains until you arrive at non-action. When you arrive at non-action, nothing will be left undone. Mastery of the world is achieved by letting things take their natural course. You cannot master the world by changing the natural way."

Chapter 63

"Act by not acting; do by not doing. Enjoy the plain and simple. Find that greatness in the small. Take care of difficult problems while they are still easy; Do easy things before they become too hard. Difficult problems are best solved while they are easy. Great projects are best started while they are small. The Master never takes on more than she can handle, which means that she leaves nothing undone. When an affirmation is given too lightly, keep your eyes open for trouble ahead. When something seems too easy, difficulty is hiding in the details. The master expects great difficulty, so the task is always easier than planned."

Chapter 81

"True words do not sound beautiful; beautiful sounding words are not true. Wise men don't need to debate; men who need to debate are not wise. Wise men are not scholars, and scholars are not wise. The Master desires no possessions. Since the things she does are for the people, she has more than she needs. The more she gives to others, the more she has for herself. The Tao of Heaven nourishes by not forcing. The Tao of the Wise person acts by not competing."