Quotation archive
“A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet.”
Laozi · Daodejing
Quote record
Author
Laozi
Source
Daodejing
Chapter / location
Chapter 64
Tradition
daoism · beginnings · practice
Source information
From Daodejing, Chapter 64.
Original language: Classical Chinese
Translation
Translated from Classical Chinese into English using a named scholarly edition.
Context
Read the contextual commentary in this archive entry.
Interpretation
A chapter-specific Daodejing image of gradual beginnings and attentive action.
Knowledge network
Related Archive Records
Original Text
This record uses a chapter-specific English rendering of an early Chinese text.
Translation
The image is translated in multiple ways; readers should retain the cited edition when quoting it.
Context
Chapter 64 joins images of small beginnings with a warning about acting before disorder becomes unmanageable.
Meaning
The line concerns careful attention to beginnings, not a promise that every long undertaking is simple.
Learning Path
Part of a Structured Collection
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Archive references
Sources
- 01The DaodejingBy Laozi; translated by Philip J. IvanhoeChapter 64. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2002.
- 02Daoist PhilosophyBy Internet Encyclopedia of PhilosophyConsult source
ZHAIBIAN Editorial Board reviewed
Reviewed by ZHAIBIAN AI Editorial Review · 2026-07-22