The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
(legendary, traditionally 6th century BCE)
Lao Tzu — meaning simply “Old Master” — is the mysterious author of the Tao Te Ching, an 81-poem masterpiece no longer than a short novella, yet one of the most translated and profound books ever written. Almost nothing certain is known about the historical man. Ancient stories say he worked as an archivist in the Zhou royal court, met Confucius once (and unimpressed him), then, seeing the kingdom crumbling, rode a water buffalo west toward the mountains. At the border pass, a gatekeeper begged him to leave behind his wisdom. Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching in a single sitting, handed over the text, and disappeared forever into the wilderness. No one knows where or when he died — if he ever did.
Lao Tzu’s teaching revolves around the Tao (“the Way”) — the formless, nameless source of everything that exists, the silent rhythm behind nature, seasons, breath, and galaxies. The moment you try to define the Tao, you’ve already lost it.
Core concepts that still shape the world:
The stories paint him as quiet, wry, almost invisible — an old man with sparkling eyes, long ears (symbol of wisdom), and a gentle smile that saw through everything. He spoke little, laughed often, and preferred watching clouds to debating scholars. When Confucius visited seeking advice on rites and morality, Lao Tzu reportedly told him: “Let go of your proud bearing, your many ambitions, your self-righteousness — none of this benefits your true self.”
The Tao Te Ching has influenced billions. It is the scripture of Taoism, the philosophical backbone of Zen and Chan Buddhism, the inspiration behind Chinese medicine, martial arts (especially the internal styles), landscape painting, and poetry. Modern physics, ecology, psychology, and leadership theory keep rediscovering Lao Tzu’s insights — quantum uncertainty, systems thinking, servant leadership, and flow states all echo lines written 2,500 years ago.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”
“When you let go of what you are, you become what you might be.”
“Water is soft and yielding, yet it wears away rock.
What is soft is strong.”
“Those who know do not speak.
Those who speak do not know.”
Lao Tzu did not try to change the world — he simply reminded it how to be itself.
And then, like mist at sunrise, he was gone.
The Way remains.