Fake Lao Tzu Quote

"Figure out the rhythm of life..."

This is NOT a quote from Tao Te Ching:

"Figure out the rhythm of life and live in harmony with it."

The Book Tao Te Ching The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained. The great Taoist philosophy classic by Lao Tzu translated, and each of the 81 chapters extensively commented. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).        More about the book here.

This would make sense coming out of the mouth of someone like Miles Davis. There may be something like a rhythm of life and if there is, Miles Davis would probably have gotten it. He would have said: "Just play it!"

       We are born with a bang and then rush to follow the beat, which seems to accelerate by each year, until it all suddenly stops. Then there is silence.

       Harmony, too, is a concept familiar to any musician. Rhythm and harmony are not necessarily connected in music, but surely they are both enforced if joined.

Now it's a book, too! 90 of the most spread false Lao Tzu quotes, why they are false and where they are really from. Book by Stefan Stenudd. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).        More about the book here.

       Still, the perspective is not that of Lao Tzu. He never mentioned rhythm, and when he spoke about harmony he referred to the pleasant state of balance and peace by accepting what is natural. The sage knows it, according to chapter 49 (my version):

The sage is one with the world,
And lives in harmony with it.

       I have not been able to find the origin of the quote examined here. It seems to have appeared during the 2010s, frequently attributed to Lao Tzu, and is mainly spread by memes. On the Goodreads website it has been present since at least July, 2012, which was when it got its first like.

       The only book in which I have found the quote is the Kindle ebook Laozi: His Words from 2014, by Daniel Coenn. It is only 23 pages and most likely just a collection of quotes accredited to Lao Tzu found on the Internet. This one is not the only quote in the book falsely ascribed to Lao Tzu.

       But there are books making similar statements, also within the literature on Taoism, such as An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism: The Wisdom of the Sages from 2010, by Jean C. Cooper (1905-1999). It contains her book from 1972, Taoism: The Way of the Mystic, and some additional essays of hers. The introduction says about Taoism (page 1):

It is the philosophy of the rhythm of life and simplicity of mind and spirit together with the absence of calculated activity, as expressed in the doctrine of wu-wei, and the presence of spontaneity, balance, and harmony.

       This sentence might have been paraphrased into the quote examined here. But of course, it is not a translation of anything from Lao Tzu.

       The expression "rhythm of life" is also used within Christian literature, where it signifies the time we have on earth, from birth to death, and how to do the best of it. For more on that, see my chapter There is a time to live, which deals with a quote somewhat similar to the one discussed here.

More Fake Lao Tzu Quotes

There are many more fake Lao Tzu quotes examined on this website. Click the header to see a list of them.

Fake interview with the author

Click the header to read a "fake" interview with Stefan Stenudd, the author of Fake Lao Tzu Quotes.

My Taoism Books Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link). Tao Te Ching The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained. The great Taoist philosophy classic by Lao Tzu translated, and each of the 81 chapters extensively commented.        More about the book here. Tao Quotes The Ancient Wisdom of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. 389 quotes from the foremost Taoist classic, divided into 51 prominent topics. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).        More about the book here. Fake Lao Tzu Quotes Erroneous Tao Te Ching Citations Examined. 90 of the most spread false Lao Tzu quotes, why they are false and where they are really from. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).        More about the book here.

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I'm a Swedish author and aikido instructor. In addition to fiction, I've written books about Taoism and other East Asian traditions. I'm also an historian of ideas, researching ancient thought and mythology. Click the image to get to my personal website.

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