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->''[[FigureItOutYourself The Tao which can be explained is not the true Tao.]]''
-->-- '''Daodejing'''

->''I know how birds can fly, fishes swim, and animals run. The runner may be snared, the swimmer hooked, and the flyer shot by the arrow. But there is the dragon: I cannot tell how he mounts on the wind through the clouds, and rises to heaven. Today I have seen Lao-tzu, and can only compare him to the dragon.''
-->-- '''Confucius''' (attributed)

Laozi (older transliterations include Lao Tse, Lao-Tsu) was a Chinese philosopher, the author of ''Daodejing'' (''Tao Te Ching''), which, tradition says, he wrote while going into exile, at the request of one of the guards of the kingdom, and which is the central document of Daoism ({{UsefulNotes/Taoism}}).

As the quote shows, Daoism was big on TheOnlyWayTheyWillLearn. Heavily favoring peace and quietness, the ideal ruler (or ReasonableAuthorityFigure) will lead people into peace and prosperity so gently that they are unaware of his existence; a king the people proclaim is good is only second best. Politically-minded readers will recognise this as one of the earliest forms of what later became known as [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies free-market 'Classical Liberalism']], with many Chinese states after Laozi ruling with a very 'light' touch (few taxes, little bureaucracy, etcetc). The work is also sometimes considered the UrExample or TropeMaker for UsefulNotes/{{anarchism}}, although Laozi did not ''call'' himself an anarchist (the term hadn't been invented yet). Many men have cited him as the reason why they prefer HomeSweetHome to the dangers of the DecadentCourt.

Traditionally, he is said to have lived from 600 BC to 470 BC, contemporaneously with Creator/{{Confucius}} (hence the page quote); historians generally think he either is a mythic figure, with the ''Daodejing'' actually being a compilation, or actually lived during the Warring States period in 4th century BC.

A note on the name: Laozi (老子) is an honorific title that literally translates as "Old Master". His personal name is Li Er (李耳), his courtesy name is Boyang (trad. 伯陽, simp. 伯阳), and his posthumous name is Li Dan (李聃).
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!!Tropes featured in Daodejing
* AmbitionIsEvil: Sanctioning it is the greatest guilt.
* {{Crossover}}: His legendary meeting with Creator/{{Confucius}}, the other famous Chinese philosopher, in Luoyang.
* EvilWeapon: All weapons.
-->''Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all creatures.''
* HomeSweetHome: A calm and frugal life are worthy of respect.
* {{Koan}}: Though Laozi technically lived well before [[SpiritualSuccessor Zen Buddhism]] was a thing, many of his (purported) statements are very Koan-like, including the page quote. The story of how '''Daodejing''' came about is that he went on one of his WalkingTheEarth trips (that he ultimately never returned from) and the gate guard, trying to be GenreSavvy, begged Laozi to leave behind his words for eternity. How much of this book (that begins with a preface declaring any idea which can be pinned down in concrete terms is ultimately worthless) is Laozi simply humoring a request or being a massive {{Troll}} is up for debate. (Zen Buddhism isn't above trolling for the specific purpose of inducing enlightenment, so that may also have been Laozi's intention.)
* MakingASplash: Water's ability to wear down things get extensive play.
-->''Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.''
* TheQuietOne:
-->''Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature.''
* ShroudedInMyth: Suffice to say, whether he was a real person at all is debatable, and he has taken on a mythical status. Confucius himself referred to him as "the Dragon" to describe him, a term that reflected wisdom and divinity.
* TearsOfRemorse: Appropriate for a successful general.
* WalkingTheEarth: As long as you're not going anywhere in particular
* WarIsHell:
-->''He who delights in the slaughter of men cannot get his will in the kingdom.''
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