Laozi, in Tao Te Ching, Ch. 21, as interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)
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Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond is and is not. How do I know this is true? I look inside myself and see.
— Laozi on Monism
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond is and is not. How do I know this is true? I look inside myself and see." in the context of "Laozi, in Tao Te Ching, Ch. 21, as interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Monism" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Laozi
老子 Lǎozi (c. 6th – 5th century BC) was a Chinese monist philosopher; also called Lao Zi, Lao Tzu, Lao Tse, or Lao Tze. The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: Dào Dé Jīng, or Dao De Jing) represents the sole document generally attributed to Laozi.
About Laozi
老子 Lǎozi (c. 6th – 5th century BC) was a Chinese monist philosopher; also called Lao Zi, Lao Tzu, Lao Tse, or Lao Tze. The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: Dào Dé Jīng, or Dao De Jing) represents the sole document generally attributed to Laozi.
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