Q0407
“In pursuing learning, one increases day by day; in pursuing the Way,…” — Laozi (Daodejing, Ch. 48)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Daodejing, Ch. 48. Theme: action.
English
In pursuing learning, one increases day by day; in pursuing the Way, one decreases day by day. Decreasing and decreasing again, one arrives at non-action.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Daodejing, Ch. 48 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.
Interpretation
Laozi contrasts two directions of practice. Learning adds — more knowledge, more distinctions, more technique — while the Way is approached by removing: fewer desires, fewer interventions, until action becomes unforced. The chapter ends at wuwei, doing without striving, which is the point the subtracting was for. It is not anti-intellectual; it distinguishes accumulation from the removal of what obstructs.
Why it matters
It names two different kinds of progress that are often confused. Some problems need more knowledge; others need something taken away.
Concepts in this quote
- Action
- Action concerns agency: what it is to do something intentionally, and how thought becomes practice.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Laozi. (n.d.). In pursuing learning, one increases day by day; in pursuing the Way, one decreases day by day. Decreasing and decreasing again, one arrives at non-action. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0407
MLA: Laozi. “In pursuing learning, one increases day by day;….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0407.
Chicago: Laozi. “In pursuing learning, one increases day by day;….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0407.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “In pursuing learning, one increases day by day;…”?
The passage is attributed to Laozi, Daodejing, Ch. 48. The archive attributes this English wording to Daodejing, Ch. 48 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 action?
Philosophy of action asks how intentions, reasons, habits, and consequences hang together. Ethical traditions often insist that knowing the good is incomplete without doing it. This passage enters that discussion through action.