Lao-Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer. His poems are widely loved, but the historical details about his life vary―Wikipedia has woven the various threads of Lao-Tzu's life into a semi-legendary, fascinating biography. Look him up, and meanwhile enjoy this ancient poem that still has much to teach us.
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Some say that my teaching is nonsense.
Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves,
this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patience with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
― Lao-Tzu (from The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry edited by Stephen Mitchell)
