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StillnessQuote

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Lao Tzu (attributed)

Philosophy

The story behind the card

Widely credited to Lao Tzu, but no one has found it in the Tao Te Ching or any other Chinese source; the wording is modern. It does echo the book's central idea of wu wei, often translated 'non-action': not doing nothing, but acting without force or strain, the way water finds its path. Chapter 37 says it plainly: the Way never acts, yet nothing is left undone. Chapter 73 adds that heaven's way does not contend, yet it wins, and is unhurried, yet its plans succeed.

Türkçe oku
Doğa acele etmez, yine de her şey tamamlanır.
Lao Tzu (atfedilir)

Lao Tzu'ya yaygın biçimde mal edilir; ama ne Tao Te Ching'de ne de başka bir Çince kaynakta bulunmuştur, ifade moderndir. Yine de kitabın temel düşüncesi wu wei'yi yansıtır. Çoğu zaman “eylemsizlik” diye çevrilen wu wei, hiçbir şey yapmamak değil, suyun kendine yol bulması gibi zorlamadan, didinmeden davranmaktır. 37. bölüm bunu açıkça söyler: Tao, yani Yol, hiçbir şey yapmaz, yine de yapılmamış hiçbir şey kalmaz. 73. bölüm de ekler: Göğün yolu çekişmez ama kazanır; acele etmez ama tasarladığı gerçekleşir.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Laozi
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