Tao Te Ching 41
When a great person hears of the Way
he follows it with devotion
when an average person hears of the Way
he doesn't know if it's real or not
when a small person hears of the Way he laughs out loud
if he didn't laugh it wouldn't be the Way
hence these sayings arose
the brightest path seems dark
the quickest path seems slow
the smoothest path seems rough
the highest virtue low
the whitest white pitch-black
the greatest virtue wanting
the staunchest virtue timid
the truest truth uncertain
the perfect square lacks corners
the perfect tool does nothing
the perfect sound is hushed
the perfect form is shapeless
the Tao is hidden and has no name
but because it's the Tao
it knows how to start and how to finish
The Name
I came to the Tao Te Ching a few years ago and keep returning to it—to Taoist philosophy in general. At its simplest, Taoism is about wu wei: effortless action. Not "go with the flow" in some passive way, but paying attention to what's actually happening and moving with that instead of forcing against it. Working with nature, not fighting it.
The name of this site comes from a line that caught my attention from a commmentator named Yen Tsun's . He was reflecting on Verse 41 of the Tao Te Ching.
Why The Name
A Commentary on 'The Way’ by Yen Tsun
The quail runs and flies all day, But never far from an overgrown field. The swan flies a thousand miles, But never far from a pond. The phoenix, meanwhile, soars into the empyrean vault, and thinks it is too confining.
Where dragons dwell, small fish swim past.
Where great birds and beasts live, dogs and chickens avoid.