“(So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged; he who is self-conceited has no superiority allowed to him.”

Lao Tzu is a 6th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and writer. He is best known as the traditional author of the *Tao Te Ching*, a foundational text of Taoist thought that explores simplicity, natural harmony, and the virtue of *wu wei* (non-action). His teachings emphasize living in alignment with the Tao, or the natural way of the universe.