Laozi 老子 (李耳)

c. 6th century BC (traditional) · Spring and Autumn period China

Tradition says he was keeper of the archives of the Zhou court and that, as he left the world through the western pass, the gatekeeper begged him to write down his teaching: the five thousand characters of the Tao Te Ching. His paradoxical wisdom of effortless action and of softness overcoming hardness became a root of East Asian thought.

See Laozi's ideas and sayings

Major works

Tao Te Ching (Laozi)

Laozi

I am Lao Dan. Many words soon run dry, so I will keep mine short.

What is it you are straining so hard to hold on to, my friend? Loosen your grip for a moment, and tell me only what it is.

This Laozi is an AI recreation based on the thinker's writings and ideas, not the real person. Only sentences marked with a source are actual passages from the works.