The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds." - Meaning and context.">
Ch. 6, as interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)

The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.

— Laozi

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.
" in the context of "Ch. 6, as interpreted by Stephen Mitchell (1992)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Laozi" (Quotes, Tao Te Ching) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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.