Wu Wei Quotes

“Doing nothing can sometimes be the most effective form of action.”
― Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians

“I came into the unknown
and stayed there unknowing
rising beyond all science.

I did not know the door
but when I found the way,
unknowing where I was,
I learned enormous things,
but what I felt I cannot say,
for I remained unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

It was the perfect realm
of holiness and peace.
In deepest solitude
I found the narrow way:
a secret giving such release
that I was stunned and stammering,
rising beyond all science.

I was so far inside,
so dazed and far away
my senses were released
from feelings of my own.
My mind had found a surer way:
a knowledge of unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

And he who does arrive
collapses as in sleep,
for all he knew before
now seems a lowly thing,
and so his knowledge grows so deep
that he remains unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

The higher he ascends
the darker is the wood;
it is the shadowy cloud
that clarified the night,
and so the one who understood
remains always unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

This knowledge by unknowing
is such a soaring force
that scholars argue long
but never leave the ground.
Their knowledge always fails the source:
to understand unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

This knowledge is supreme
crossing a blazing height;
though formal reason tries
it crumbles in the dark,
but one who would control the night
by knowledge of unknowing
will rise beyond all science.

And if you wish to hear:
the highest science leads
to an ecstatic feeling
of the most holy Being;
and from his mercy comes his deed:
to let us stay unknowing,
rising beyond all science.”
― St. John of the Cross

“The path that one person follows is not the correct path for any other person. Each of us must walk his own path to enlightenment— that is the way.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom Volume Two: More Guidance from the Book of Answers: 2

“To slow time down, practice enjoying the moment. It is where we spend our entire lives.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom Volume Two: More Guidance from the Book of Answers: 2

“A quiet-hearted person awakes with a smile on his lips and an eagerness in his heart for the day ahead.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom Volume Two: More Guidance from the Book of Answers: 2

“Everything that happens, happens at the only possible time it can happen, and it is always at exactly the right time. We cannot get to an appointment before we arrive—or after. It is only at the instant of our arrival that we can arrive, and that is always at exactly the right moment, the perfect moment, the only possible moment.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom Volume Two: More Guidance from the Book of Answers: 2

“Doing or not doing something - they are similar. Both involve an action and sincerity.”
― CLAMP, xxxHOLiC, Vol. 1

“Change is like a river: nothing is the same, even for an instant. Everything is continually moving through the six stages of change: about to come into being, beginning, expanding, approaching maximum potential, peaking, and finally, passing its peak and flowing into its new condition.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom Volume Two: More Guidance from the Book of Answers: 2

“We have the best chance of communicating our thoughts if we are sincere and speak from the heart, without hidden intent.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom: More Guidance from the Book of Answers

“Rest is essential, but during our periods of rest, we must think to ourselves that in resting we are renewing our energy to fulfill our commitment.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom: More Guidance from the Book of Answers

“To preserve our relationships, we give of our time, our assets, our attention, our help, and our love. To preserve our wealth, we give generously as we are accumulating, so we do not invoke the Universal law of maximization, which states that when anything reaches its maximum potential, it turns toward its opposite.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom Volume Two: More Guidance from the Book of Answers: 2

“Everything that happens, happens at the only possible time it can happen, and it is always at exactly the right time.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom: More Guidance from the Book of Answers

“It is true that we are in charge of our imaginations, and by using them to imagine wonderful futures for ourselves, and by acting on that basis, it will follow, unerringly, that for us, it will be so.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom Volume Two: More Guidance from the Book of Answers: 2

“Even the worst outcome we can imagine will ultimately benefit us. It is because of that law of favor-ability that the Universe is able to continue and we are able to bring about the fruition of our plans.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom: More Guidance from the Book of Answers

“A diminished self-image causes us to slouch, to avoid looking others in the eye, to be unassertive, to be indecisive. On the other hand, a healthy self-image causes us to carry ourselves well, to speak confidently and to portray dignity.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom: More Guidance from the Book of Answers

“It takes practice, feeling happy about the ever enfolding events of life, and, because of all the conditioning we have undergone before this, it may be very difficult to make the change, but if we take the saying to heart and practice it, as the days unfold we will find ourselves living ever happier lives, smiling more, and finally, laughing more.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom: More Guidance from the Book of Answers

“It is more important that we listen to others than to always be speaking, for in that way we learn what there is to know. We should be easy to talk to, and grateful for new information.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom: More Guidance from the Book of Answers

“Mastery is not to control;
but to allow the Tao
to flow freely
through you”
― Leland Lewis, Random Molecular Mirroring

“Music open our minds to allow the perception of new thoughts of a higher nature, which gives us a spiritual lift, which produces yet more joy.”
― Wu Wei, I Ching Wisdom: More Guidance from the Book of Answers

“Your physical three dimensional bodily manifestation is a microcosm of the Universe with infinite space flowing through. Wu Wei. Love the miracle of your physical manifestation yet also embrace the experiences and great miracles of your higher dimensional bodies of infinite Spirit Light Vision Love and Sacred Oneness with the All”
― Leland Lewis, Angelic Tales of The Universe. Tale 1. The Ancient Woman, The Secret Cave

“It is possible to live a life that looks like a work of art, where all your thoughts and actions flow from some settled place of experience and knowledge.”
― Eric Overby

“ARDUOUS EASE - A HAIKU

River's kind caress,
Rocks yield to its persistence,
Work with ease, sheer force.”
― Amogh Swamy, On My Way To Infinity: A Seeker's Poetic Pilgrimage

“Jag är en planet befolkad av röster, ansikten och skrik.
De stormar in i mig med obscena rörelser, och grimaser.
Det lönar sig inte att göra motstånd (...)
Bearbeta den strida strömmen tills allt som återstår är en liten bäck med klart, rent vatten.”
― Sture Dahlström, Den galopperande svensken

“Jag är en planet befolkad av röster, ansikten och skrik.
De stormar in i mig med obscena rörelser, och grimaser.
Det lönar sig inte att göra motstånd (...)
Bearbeta den strida strömmen tills allt som återstår är en liten bäck med klart, rent vatten.”
― Sture Dahlström, Den galopperande svensken

“Enjoy life. Act, but act in a relaxed way. The greatest art in life is to learn how to act in a relaxed way. Action is a must -- you cannot live without action -- but action can be almost inaction. That's what Lao Tzu means when he uses the word WU-WEI. That is very fundamental to Lao Tzu and that is very fundamental to me too: I would like you to learn WU-WEI. WU-WEI means action without action -- doing a thing in such a way that you are not tense in doing it, doing a thing in such a way that you are playful about it, doing a thing in such a way that you are not worried about it, doing it and yet remaining detached, doing it and yet remaining a witness.

MAN NEEDS A BALANCE, and that balance is possible only if you learn the art of being active and yet remaining inactive inside. And that's what we are trying to do here, and in the bigger commune you will have more facilities to be active and inactive together.

People who come to the ashram are a little puzzled. Many have written to me, "Everybody is working but nobody seems to be tense." In the office so many people are working, in the workshops, in the press office... so many people are working. Nearabout three hundred people are constantly working, and with no holiday -- the Sunday never comes. But nobody is tense.

Work is beautiful if it can be done without any tension, if it can be done playfully, if it can be done without any hurry and yet without relapsing into laziness. It is a very subtle and delicate art.”
― Osho, The Fish in the Sea is Not Thirsty

“Enjoy life. Act, but act in a relaxed way. The greatest art in life is to learn how to act in a relaxed way. Action is a must -- you cannot live without action -- but action can be almost inaction. That's what Lao Tzu means when he uses the word WU-WEI.

Work is beautiful if it can be done without any tension, if it can be done playfully, if it can be done without any hurry and yet without relapsing into laziness. It is a very subtle and delicate art.”
― Osho, The Fish in the Sea is Not Thirsty

“Wu wei is about aligning ourselves with the natural flow of life, letting go of control, and allowing things to unfold organically. To the extent that we’re usually our own worst enemy, wu wei is definitely about getting out of our own way.”
― Sol Luckman, Get Out of Here Alive: Inner Alchemy & Immortality

“In the context of conflict resolution, wu wei encourages us to approach disagreements with a sense of controlled (but not controlling) detachment. Instead of imposing our will or trying to micromanage the outcome, we learn to flow with the present moment and allow the situation to resolve itself naturally.

This doesn’t mean being passive or indifferent. The practice of wu wei … is about finding a delicate balance between action and inaction. We speak our truth when necessary, but we also recognize when silence is the more prudent and persuasive course of action.”
― Sol Luckman, Get Out of Here Alive: Inner Alchemy & Immortality

“Wu wei teaches that genuine strength lies not in forcing our way through life like the proverbial bull in the china shop, but in moving with the current, adapting to changing circumstances, and finding peace even when surrounded by swirling eddies of chaos. As such it’s a powerful reminder that sometimes the most effective action is … none at all.”
― Sol Luckman, Get Out of Here Alive: Inner Alchemy & Immortality

“By embracing the principles of wu wei, we tap into a
deeper wisdom that guides us toward harmonious
solutions. We learn to trust the natural layout of the situation and find peace in the now, regardless of the challenges we face.

If you want to have a bit of lighthearted fun with this
oftentimes new-agey concept, and avoid taking it too
seriously in its own rather playful spirit, imagine your
‘woo’ simply getting out of your ‘way.”
― Sol Luckman, Get Out of Here Alive: Inner Alchemy & Immortality