Lao Tzu
c. 601–c. 531 BCE · China
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Peak-work percentile in the canon.
Portraits
Tight head-and-shoulders crop of Zhang Lu's canonical Ming painting — isolates the bearded sage's face, ideal for an avatar-style portrait. Imagined likeness.
Zhang Lu
A close-up ink portrait of Laozi as a hooded, deeply lined old man, brushed in spare, wet Chan-style strokes.
Muqi
Famous Quotes
“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”
“Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
“Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know.”
About Lao Tzu
Semi-legendary Chinese philosopher traditionally credited as the author of the Tao Te Ching and founder of Taoism. His historical existence is debated, but the philosophical tradition bearing his name has profoundly shaped Chinese religion, art, and thought. The Tao Te Ching's paradoxical meditations on the nature of reality remain endlessly reinterpreted.