Laozi — "Therefore even the sage treats some things as difficult. That is why in the end …"
Therefore even the sage treats some things as difficult. That is why in the end no difficulties can get the better of him.
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More from Laozi
"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."
"Taking things lightly must lead to big difficulties. The sage regards things as difficult, and thereby avoids difficulty."
"The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own."
"Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy."
"To yield is to be preserved whole. To be bent is to be straightened. To be empty is to be filled. To be worn out is to be renewed. To have little is to gain. To have plenty is to be perplexed."
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
Even wise people deliberately approach certain tasks as if they were hard, staying alert and careful instead of assuming ease. By respecting difficulty upfront, they prepare thoroughly, avoid shortcuts, and prevent small problems from compounding into crises. The result is that genuine obstacles never overwhelm them, because they have already accounted for what could go wrong. Treating things as difficult is a posture of humility and attentiveness, not pessimism, and it keeps competence ahead of complication.
Relevance to Laozi
Laozi, the legendary keeper of the Zhou dynasty royal archives, spent his life observing how rulers and scholars stumbled by underestimating problems. As the founder of Taoism, he taught wu wei, effortless action rooted in patient awareness, and warned that arrogance invites collapse. This saying captures his signature paradox: the sage succeeds by assuming difficulty, mirroring his withdrawal from court life to write the Tao Te Ching rather than chase status he considered treacherous.
The era
Laozi lived during the late Zhou dynasty, roughly the 6th century BCE, as central authority crumbled and regional lords fought constant wars that would escalate into the Warring States period. Ministers were executed on whims, alliances collapsed overnight, and ambitious reformers often died young. In this volatile climate, treating ordinary decisions as dangerous was literal survival advice. Laozi's counsel to respect difficulty spoke directly to advisors, generals, and rulers whose overconfidence could cost entire kingdoms and thousands of lives.
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