How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Line)
Quote #4
The valley spirit, undying
Is called the Mystic Female
The gate of the Mystic Female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth (6.1-4)
The Mystic Female sounds this old hippie lady on our street who does yoga all the time and has a massive collection of crystals. It represents the great Tao itself and the way in which the Tao gives birth to everything. Taoists revere feminine energy and females in general because they're the source of life. So maybe you should send this quote to your Mom on Mother's Day.
Quote #5
Above it, not bright
Below it, not dark [...]
The image of the imageless
This is called enigmatic
Confront it, its front cannot be seen
Follow it, its back cannot be seen (14.9-17)
Uh, how can something that's imageless have an image? Could this mean that the physical things we see around us are just the tip of the iceberg? That the Tao is so vast and incomprehensible that we can only see a fraction of what it is? The answer is: maybe.
Quote #6
From ancient times to the present
Its name never departs (21.13-14)
Belief in the Tao didn't just start with the Tao Te Ching. People came up with the idea way before this book was written. Really, this book is just an accumulation of thousands of years philosophy and belief. When did the idea of Tao first pop into our brains? Nobody knows. Maybe around the time any ideas first popped into our brains.