Laozi on love

Water showed helpfulness without rivalry

In The Tao Teh King, water benefited all things while settling in low places that others avoided. This image linked helpfulness with humility: what sustained life did not need to occupy the highest position or defeat a rival.

Unforced action did not mean inaction

Laozi’s teaching of wu wei did not mean doing nothing. It meant acting in harmony with things as they were, without strain, scheming, or force. The sage completed his task and stepped back rather than making a display of success.

Gentleness had strength of its own

Laozi described softness and yielding as capable of overcoming hardness. Water could wear down what seemed strong and unbending. His praise of gentleness therefore did not amount to praise of helplessness; it challenged the assumption that force was always more effective.

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