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Lao-Tzu
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Tao Te Ching Paperback – January 1, 1900

by Laozi (Author), Stephen Mitchell (Editor)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,005 ratings
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Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, is the classic manual on the art of living, and one of the wonders of the world. In eighty-one brief chapters, the Tao Te Ching looks at the basic predicament of being alive and gives advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit. This book is about wisdom in action. It teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao (the basic principle of the universe) and applies equally to good government and sexual love; to child rearing, business, and ecology.

Stephen Mitchell's bestselling version has been widely acclaimed as a gift to contemporary culture.

 

Previous page
  1. Print length
    144 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper Perennial
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1900
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 3.5 x 0.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0060812451
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0060812454
  8. Lexile measure
    910L
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mitchell's rendition of the "Tao Te Ching comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine. It embodies the virtues its translator credits to the Chinese original: a gemlike lucidity that is radiant with humor, grace, largeheartedness, and deep wisdom."-- Huston Smith, author of "The Religions of Man""Mitchell's great talent is to communicate with the profound simplicity utterly appropriate for this task. The obscure has been made transparent and available."-- "Common Boundary""Beautiful and accessible; the English, as 'fluid as melting ice, ' is a joy to read throughout."-- "The New Republic"

About the Author

Stephen Mitchell's many books include the bestselling Tao Te Ching, Gilgamesh, and The Second Book of the Tao, as well as The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, The Gospel According to Jesus, Bhagavad Gita, The Book of Job, and Meetings with the Archangel.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Compact edition (January 1, 1900)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060812451
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060812454
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 910L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.92 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 3.5 x 0.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,005 ratings

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Lao-Tzu

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
1,005 global ratings
This is my favorite book
5 Stars
This is my favorite book
I give this to everyone. It is the smallest book and the more I read it the deeper the teachings become.
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Top reviews from the United States

Taka B.
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for philosophy and Asian thinking.
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
Best translation I've found. If you like anything related to eastern mysticism, philosophy, personal growth or martial arts, buy it now.
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HW Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars This is my favorite book
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
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I give this to everyone. It is the smallest book and the more I read it the deeper the teachings become.
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HW Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars This is my favorite book
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
I give this to everyone. It is the smallest book and the more I read it the deeper the teachings become.
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Jason Boehm
5.0 out of 5 stars 45 minutes or a lifetime
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024
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I've gone to this version of the Tao Te Ching many, many times when I felt lost or confused. It has guided me through much of my adult life. You can read this book in 45 minutes or a lifetime. And with this pocket version, you can take it anywhere.
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Curtis S. Sanders
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite translation of the sacred text....
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
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Steven Covey is my favorite translator of Sacred texts.. His rare intelligence is reflected in all his work..

My highest recommendation....
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Juju L.
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely!
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2023
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One of the best translations available. And the little size very convenient.
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Mary Alice Braukman
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent bok
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024
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Keep it on hand to read morning and night
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Austin Reyes
5.0 out of 5 stars The book of the way
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2023
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This book is spectacular and severely thought inducing. I've bought one for people in my life that are curious about improving oneself. If I could have one book to keep me sane on a deserted island it would be this one. Could not recommend it more.
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Robert Jacoby
4.0 out of 5 stars One interpretation of a Taoist classic
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
(Background: Over a couple of decades' time I planned to read the scriptures of the world's great religions/philosophies. I started with my own, reading the Bible in two different translations--first the Hebrew-Greek Word Study Bible by Spiros Zodhiates, and then the KJV--to gain a better grasp on my spirituality and to think critically about why and what I believed. I also wanted to get a better understanding of the world's major religions so that I could be more in tune with people, their language and their culture, and current events. Next I turned to Islam and Al-Quaran. After that The Bhagavad Gita and the Analects of Confucius. Every reading is helping me go a bit deeper and wider into man's search for God and, through that, meaning in this life. More books and reviews to come.)
(UPDATE January 2015: Added the Tao Te Ching.)

I decided to read the Tao Te Ching because a friend recommended it. In his words: he discovered the book during college; it had a powerful impact on him; and he found himself returning to it more and more as time went on. I shared with him my interest in reading the world's scriptures and canonical texts. He encouraged me to pick up a copy. So I did.

The Tao Te Ching (or more appropriately translated into English as Dao De Jing) is one of the classic Chinese texts. The title is often translated into English as "The Book of the Way." It is a small book; literally, this version of the book is 3.5 x 5 inches. The text consists of 81 brief chapters/sections, some only a few lines long, most only a page. The text purportedly dates to about the 6th century BC, written by Lao Tzu, a Chinese sage. It is a fundamental text for philosophical and religious Taoism, which today is one of five religions recognized by the Chinese communist government.

The central figure in the Tao Te Ching, we are told in Mitchell's Introduction, is the "man or woman whose life is in perfect harmony with the way things are..... The Master has mastered nature; not in the sense of conquering it, but of becoming it...." The Master is ultimately able to say, "I am the Tao, the Truth, the Life." Sound familiar?

Or this: "Since before time and space were, the Tao is" (Chapter 21).

Or this: If you know the Tao "there will be nothing you can't do" (Chapter 28).

And: "In the beginning was the Tao" (Chapter 52).

There's also a time for everything (Chapter 29; cf. Ecclesiastes 3) and taking Blake's Proverbs of Hell out of context (note on Chapter 36).

Mitchell provides a Notes section in the back of the book for details on his translation work and some textual analysis. Unfortunately, he has a habit of dropping a lot of names without providing context and/or much in the way of references to source material. For example, he'll simply write "Bunan said" or "I asked my friend and teacher Emile Conrad-Da'oud, founder of Continuum, to comment on this verse," or "Rama Maharshi said." Search the Introduction and the Notes and the Acknowledgements and you'll finding nothing on Bunan, Conrad-Da'oud, or Maharshi. Who are they? What makes them quotable on the Tao Te Ching? I don't know. You'll have to google them yourself.

About the actual "translation": I know many people in their reviews have complained about it, noting that Mitchell has taken too much liberty. He admits this in his Introduction and in some Notes on each chapter provides examples of "original text" compared to his translation. His text is usually wildly different than what he claims to be the "literal" text. Online you can find different and free translations of the Tao Te Ching, so it's easy to compare, if you like, different passages as you're reading along. Just google "tao te ching translation"; I used the "accurate translation" at taoism.net mostly, but consulted others. When I did spot check Mitchell's book against other translations they were often very different. Sometimes his seemed "better"; sometimes his text was completely off.

Overall, though, I enjoyed reading this version of the Tao Te Ching. It's full of maxims and aphorims on what life is and how to live it harmoniously in a distinctly eastern philosophy and collectivistic culture. Some of the timeless sayings include:

If you look to others for fulfillment,
you will never be truly fulfilled.
If your happiness depends on money,
you will never be happy with yourself.

Success is as dangerous as failure.

Wise men don't need to prove their point.

And, of course:

The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet.

***

For fellow Christians who want to read this book, a word of caution ("Watch out that you are not deceived..." [Luke 21:8]). Mitchell references and interprets the Bible as he likes and makes links between the Tao and the God revealed in the Bible as he likes (see his note for Chapter 64). But understand that Taoism is most definitely pantheism. While the Tao Te Ching never talks about "God" per se, there is a profound sense of reverence for the essence of being and that being in all things. This can be classified as pantheism. Also, Mitchell tries to draw the line from "the Tao" to "Christ." In the Notes on Chapter 22, for example, he cites Paul from Galatians 2:20 "Not I, but Christ in me" to interpret the line in Chapter 22 "Only in being lived by the Tao." Mitchell conveniently omits the full passage from Galatians: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." The biblical text, in context, gives a much different reading than what Mitchell has selected to show; and is also in direct conflict with what Mitchell later notes as the search of every Taoist, for his/her "inner messiah" (p. 72). About Mitchell's biblical revisionism: "God doesn't say, 'Let there be light.' The light simply is, and is God" (note on Chapter 34, p. 109).

***

While I read Mitchell's version of the Tao Te Ching I also read The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. That book had been sitting on my shelf never-read for some years, since I picked it up off my mother's bookshelf after she died and we were going through her things. I just happened to be looking at my bookshelf (after I began reading the Tao Te Ching) when I spied Hoff's book; and I thought it would be neat to read it along with the real "Book of the Way." A Taoist would likely simply smile at that and nod.

***

Recommended for those curious about popular world philosophies/religions, especially eastern, and how they impact individuals, cultures, and nations.

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Jessica Birelo
5.0 out of 5 stars pocket
Reviewed in Brazil on April 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
Adorei, e essa versão é realmente pocket, cabe no bolso e é bem leve.
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Roswith Schläpfer
5.0 out of 5 stars Tao te Ching
Reviewed in Germany on June 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
Eine fabelhafte Übertragung dieses uralten Textes.
Mitchell nimmt das Grundprinzip des Daoismus (das Weiche besiegt das Harte) sehr ernst und sagt eben manchmal "The Master he ..." und ebenso häufig "The Master she ..."
One person found this helpful
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cristian
2.0 out of 5 stars il prezzo è alto per un libricino tascabile
Reviewed in Italy on January 17, 2015
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Devo ancora leggerlo, è possibile che se li meriti i 10 euro. Mi aspettavo un libro più grande. State attenti quando acquistate alle caratteristiche del prodotto.
One person found this helpful
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K. Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure that you can have with you always.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2011
Verified Purchase
I have bought more than one copy of this treasured book to give to friends, one of whom has just departed for a world tour. This pocket format of the book is invaluable for anyone who is travelling and who wants to have some precious words of wisdom to which to refer each day. I keep this little book in my handbag always. I find Stephen Mitchell's translation so relevant, and it brings the essence of this work to life. Altogether a gem!
One person found this helpful
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K.A.
4.0 out of 5 stars とてもシンプルで良くわかります。
Reviewed in Japan on April 5, 2010
Verified Purchase
　タオの日本語訳よりもこちらの方が、論理的でシンプルで解りやすいです。短い文で内容をストレートに表現していて、読みやすいです。寝る前に1章か2章読むと心が落ち着いて安眠できます。ただとても小さな本で（手帳くらい？）なので、もう少し大きい、せめて文庫版くらいの大きさだといいのにと思いました。
7 people found this helpful
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