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    Cover of Tao Te Ching

    Tao Te Ching

    Stephen Mitchell · 1991

    An Eastern philosophical treatise attributed to Lao Tzu or Laozi. Thought to have been written around the sixth century BCE it is fundamental to the Taoism form of philosophy. There are several possible translations of the title, though most people take it to mean The Way. It is one of the major works of Chinese philosophy and its influence is still felt today.

    Religion & SpiritualityPhilosophy
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    103recommend
    274mentions
    204people
    2008–2026years
    46% recommend53% neutral1% critical

    Mentions per year

    2008201020122014201620182020202220242026

    What Hacker News says

    1. NishanStepakOct 2026
      Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through. Machiavelli The Prince Sun Tzu The Art of War Epictetus The Enchiridion Tao Te Ching- different editions The Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book The King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times. Lewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition
      thread
    2. __rito__Sep 2026
      This is a spiritual idea. Encouraged in many traditions all over the world. I saw Zhuangzi mentioned, and also saw people mention the "Perfect Days" movie.

      I have delved deep in this matter, and read and plan to read multiple books in this theme:

      1. Be As You Are: The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi - David Godman

      2. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig

      3. Franny and Zooey - JD Salinger

      These come from top of my mind.

      If you have the acumen, go read Bhagavad Gita, Gospel of Ramakrishna, Tao Te Ching, etc.

      Many people mistake what is conveyed as "NPC" here as being quitters and losers, but it is about owning consequences like no other way.

      thread
    3. jdw64Jun 2026
      Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Translated Ursula K. Le Guin) The Way of Lao Tzu (Wing-tsit Chan)
      thread
    4. BrunoBernardinoMay 2026
      Top 5 books I've offered (and still offer):

      1. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Gia-Fu Feng)

      2. The Analects by Confucius (translated by Annping Chin)

      3. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

      4. 3 years of Mini Stories - 36 short stories to read quickly, and think slowly — written by me.

      5. As Causas do Atraso Português by Nuno Palma

      thread
    5. mark_l_watsonFeb 2026
      Interesting perspective of someone curating an exhibit for their famous mother. I am a fan of her writing, but strangely I most often go back to Le Guin’s audio book reading of ‘Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching’ with short musical interludes and small sound effects. 100% satisfying to listen to.
      thread
    6. adzmJan 2026
      This is one of my favorite versions, mostly for nostalgic reasons. My initial exposure to the Tao te Ching was this "rendition" and Stephen Mitchell's version. Comparing the two was always very thought provoking; the approach is very different between them.

      I often come to this site and compare chapters across multiple versions: https://ttc.tasuki.org/display:Code:gff,sm,jc,rh

      Some are more poetic, some are more literal, and keeping with the theme, both of them are just as important.

      thread

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