Tao Te Ching Philosophical Viewpoints: Wu Wei Quotes

A lot of times people mistake Taoists for these totally passive people who think it's a bad idea to do much of anything. That's not how true Taoists roll, though. In this quote, we see that they are into action, a.k.a. doin' stuff. But a true sage is unattached to his or her actions and practices wu wei. They don't rip their hair out over outcomes and instead try to act spontaneously with the flow of the Tao.

This isn't the only place in the TTC where it says that being like a baby is a good thing. Chances are this isn't recommending that we poop on ourselves, drool, and only eat mushy stuff. Instead, it's more about approaching everything we do with simplicity and a kind of innocent openness to what may happen.

This is the kind of line that makes people think that Taoists are passive to the max. But just because the sages don't go around fighting with everybody they meet doesn't mean that they don't make things happen. Instead of forcing things to happen, they approach things gently and meet a lot less resistance as a result. They kick it wu wei style.