Laozi — "If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on …"
If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
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More from Laozi
"Therefore even the sage treats some things as difficult. That is why in the end no difficulties can get the better of him."
"The best rulers are those whose existence is barely known by the people."
"The wise man's food is that which nourishes him; the fool's food is that which gratifies him."
"The sage puts his own person last, and yet is found in the foremost place."
"The best of men is like water. Water benefits all things and does not compete with them. It dwells in lowly places that all disdain. This is why it is so near to the Tao."
About Laozi (c. 6th century BCE (semi-legendary))
Reputed founder of Taoism and author of the Tao Te Ching, whose wu wei (effortless action) shaped East Asian philosophy. Closely associated with Zhuangzi (later Taoist who extended Laozi's framework). For an intellectual contrast, see Confucius, near-contemporary Chinese sage of social ritual and duty — Confucius systematized social order through ritual and hierarchy; Laozi argued that all such systems were the disease, not the cure — the two founding poles of Chinese moral philosophy.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Everything in existence is constantly shifting—relationships, possessions, emotions, even our own bodies and identities. Once you fully accept this truth, clinging becomes pointless and exhausting. You stop gripping tightly to outcomes, people, or past versions of yourself, because you see that holding on cannot freeze what is inherently fluid. Acceptance of impermanence naturally dissolves attachment, freeing you from the suffering that comes from resisting the flow of life.
Relevance to Laozi
Laozi built Taoism around wu wei, effortless action aligned with the Tao, the natural flow underlying all things. Legend says he worked as an archivist in the Zhou court before leaving civilization behind, handing the Tao Te Ching to a gatekeeper on his way west. That act itself—releasing his teachings and disappearing—embodies non-attachment. His philosophy consistently urges yielding over gripping, softness over force, and trusting change rather than fighting it.
The era
Laozi lived during the late Zhou dynasty (6th century BCE), an era of collapsing feudal order later erupting into the Warring States period. Rulers clung desperately to power, territory, and rigid Confucian hierarchies as dynasties crumbled. Against this backdrop of frantic grasping and political chaos, Taoist detachment offered a radical alternative: stop struggling against impermanence. The saying spoke directly to people watching everything familiar dissolve, suggesting release rather than resistance as the path through turbulent times.
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