Jordan Johnson > Jordan's Quotes

“Who ain’t a slave? Tell me that. Well, then, however the old sea-captains may order me about—however they may thump and punch me about, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is all right; that everybody else is one way or other served in much the same way— either in a physical or metaphysical point of view, that is; and so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.”
― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

“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.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“The flame that burns Twice as bright burns half as long.”
― Lao Tzu, Te-Tao Ching

“Silence is a source of Great Strength.”
― Lao Tzu

“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.”
― Lao Tzu

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
― Lao Tzu

“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”
― Lao Tzu

“A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“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.”
― Lao Tzu

“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”
― Lao Tsu, Tao Teh Ching

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”
― Lao Tzu

“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.”
― Lao Tzu

“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.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
― Lao Tzu

“Why are the people starving? Because the rulers use up the money in taxes. Therefore the people are starving.

Why are the people rebellious? Because the rulers interfere too much. Therefore they are rebellious.

Why do the people think so little of death? Because the rulers demand too much of life. Therefore the people take death lightly.

Having little to live on, one knows better than to value life too much.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“The path that can be walked is not the path that lasts; the name that can be spoken is not the name that endures. Nothingness, the origin of heaven and earth; presence, the mother of all creation.”
― Lao Tzu, Laozi's Dao De Jing: A New Interpretation for a Transformative Time

“Things arise and she lets them come; things disappear and she lets them go. She has but doesn’t possess, acts but doesn’t expect. When her work is done, she forgets it.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“How did it happen that the emperor, master of ten thousand chariots, lost control of his empire?

Being flippant himself, he lost the respect of his subjects. Failing to control himself, he lost the control of the empire.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“To withdraw oneself does not mean to retreat from society and become a hermit. It means there is no need to brag about your achievements, take on pompous airs, or put on showy displays. Once you have achieved success and fame, it is best to step gracefully, quietly aside.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“He was alone. He was unheeded, happy, and near to the wild heart of life. He was alone and young and wilful and wildhearted, alone amid a waste of wild air and brackish waters and the seaharvest of shells and tangle and veiled grey sunlight.”
― James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man