Q0498

“Those who understand me are few; therefore I am valued.” — Laozi (Daodejing, Ch. 70)

Verified English quotation. Primary source: Daodejing, Ch. 70. Theme: understanding.

English

Those who understand me are few; therefore I am valued.
Thinker Laozi
School Daoism
Source Daodejing, Ch. 70
Theme Understanding
Another quotation More from this thinker

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Daodejing, Ch. 70 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

Across 4 recurring voices here (notably G. W. This passage enters that discussion through understanding.

Concepts in this quote

Understanding
Understanding appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat understanding as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Laozi. (n.d.). Those who understand me are few; therefore I am valued. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0498

MLA: Laozi. “Those who understand me are few; therefore I….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0498.

Chicago: Laozi. “Those who understand me are few; therefore I….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0498.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “Those who understand me are few; therefore I…”?

The passage is attributed to Laozi, Daodejing, Ch. 70. The archive attributes this English wording to Daodejing, Ch. 70 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 understanding?

Across 4 recurring voices here (notably G. W. This passage enters that discussion through understanding.

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 understanding

  1. My propositions are elucidatory in this way: he who understands me finally recognizes them as nonsensical…He must surmount these propositions; then he sees the world rightly.
  2. The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.
  3. What is rational is actual; and what is actual is rational.
  4. To be great is to be misunderstood.
  5. I shall endeavor not to laugh at human actions, nor to weep over them, nor to hate them, but to understand them.

Browse the understanding theme