Q0163

“Know contentment, and you will not be disgraced; know when to stop,…” — Laozi (Daodejing, Ch. 44)

Verified English quotation. Primary source: Daodejing, Ch. 44. Theme: philosophy.

English

Know contentment, and you will not be disgraced; know when to stop, and you will not be imperiled — thus you can endure.
Thinker Laozi
School Daoism
Source Daodejing, Ch. 44
Theme Browse all themes
Another quotation More from this thinker

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Daodejing, Ch. 44 and files it under Daoism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.

About Laozi

Laozi is the traditional sage-author of the Daodejing, though historical identity and textual formation remain contested. Early tradition places him in the sixth century BCE as an older contemporary of Confucius; many scholars see the received text as composite and later.

How to read this passage

This passage is indexed under . Those labels identify the concepts it can illuminate; they do not replace the argument surrounding it in Daodejing, Ch. 44.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Laozi. (n.d.). Know contentment, and you will not be disgraced; know when to stop, and you will not be imperiled — thus you can endure. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0163

MLA: Laozi. “Know contentment, and you will not be disgraced;….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0163.

Chicago: Laozi. “Know contentment, and you will not be disgraced;….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0163.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “Know contentment, and you will not be disgraced;…”?

The passage is attributed to Laozi, Daodejing, Ch. 44. The archive attributes this English wording to Daodejing, Ch. 44 and files it under Daoism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.

What does Laozi mean by philosophy?

This passage is indexed under . Those labels identify the concepts it can illuminate; they do not replace the argument surrounding it in Daodejing, Ch. 44.

Same thinker

More from Laozi

  1. The highest good is like water. Water benefits the myriad things and does not contend; it dwells in places the multitude dislike — therefore it is close to the Way.
  2. One who knows others is wise; one who knows oneself is enlightened. One who conquers others has strength; one who conquers oneself is truly strong. One who knows contentment is rich; one who persists has will.
  3. A tree that fills the arms' embrace grows from a tiny shoot; a nine-story tower rises from a heap of earth; a journey of a thousand li begins beneath one's feet.
  4. Difficult affairs under Heaven must arise from the easy; great affairs under Heaven must arise from the small.
  5. Humans model themselves on earth; earth on heaven; heaven on the Way; and the Way on what is naturally so.

All quotations by Laozi

Same theme

More on philosophy

  1. Nature's wealth has its bounds and is easy to procure; but the wealth of vain fancies recedes to an infinite distance.
  2. Wealth does not take away need — it kindles new wants.
  3. One who knows others is wise; one who knows oneself is enlightened. One who conquers others has strength; one who conquers oneself is truly strong. One who knows contentment is rich; one who persists has will.
  4. The cry of the flesh is not to be hungry, not to be thirsty, not to be cold.

Browse all philosophy themes