Those who praise victory relish manslaughter. Those who relish manslaughter cannot reach their goals in the world.
Interpretation
Victory should not come at the cost of violence, as it leads away from true achievement.
In this quote, Laozi conveys a profound philosophical message about the nature of victory and the consequences of violence. He suggests that those who celebrate victory through violent means are ultimately unable to achieve genuine success in the world, as their actions are rooted in destructiveness rather than constructive efforts. This perspective invites reflection on the values and ethics associated with our pursuits and the importance of peaceful methods in attaining our goals.
In practice
In a discussion about ethics in competitive sports, this quote can illustrate the importance of fair play over aggressive tactics.
If you understand others you are smart._x000D_ If you understand yourself you are illuminated._x000D_ If you overcome others you are powerful._x000D_ If you overcome yourself you have strength._x000D_ If you know how to be satisfied you are rich._x000D_ If you can act with vigor, you have a will._x000D_ If you don't lose your objectives you can be long-lasting._x000D_ If you die without loss, you are eternal.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.
In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.
Rule your mind with serenity rather than with force and manipulation.
We divorced ourselves from the materials of the earth, the rock, the wood, the iron ore; we looked to new materials which were cooked in vats, long complex derivatives of urine which we called plastic. They had no odor of the living, ... their touch was alien to nature. ... [They proliferated] like the matastases of cancer cells.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
A precedent embalms a principle.
The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not so much for the purpose of spreading a particular message as for the purpose of making learning impossible, replacing facts with mush, and handing the faceless state a monopoly on defining an ever-shifting reality.
It is absolutely impossible to transcend the laws of nature. What can change in historically different circumstances is only the form in which these laws expose themselves.
A man may build himself a throne of bayonets, but he cannot sit on it.
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