He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty.
What it means
Understanding other people takes insight, but understanding yourself takes more. Beating other people takes strength, but mastering yourself is the greater power.
Each pair puts the inward task above the outward one. The harder and more valuable work is on yourself, not on anyone else.
The context
These lines open chapter 33 of the Tao Te Ching, which is traditionally attributed to Laozi. The chapter goes on in the same pattern: “He who is satisfied with his lot is rich; he who goes on acting with energy has a (firm) will.”
Who wrote the book, and when, is uncertain. Tradition places Laozi in the 6th century BC, but the text includes later additions, and some scholars date most of it to the 4th century BC.
Why it matters
Most of the contests we notice are with other people: who’s right, who’s ahead, who won the argument. Laozi points to the contest that decides more about our lives and that nobody else can see: whether we master our own temper, fear and appetites, or they master us.
It’s also the more useful one to win. Beating someone else changes one situation; mastering yourself changes every situation you walk into.
About Laozi
Chinese philosopher, traditionally the author of the Tao Te Ching, traditionally 6th century BC
Traditional accounts place Laozi in the 6th century BC, as a keeper of archival records at the Zhou court in China and an older contemporary of Confucius. In the Records of the Grand Historian, the Han historian Sima Qian writes that he wrote a book in two parts before departing to the west.
Historians disagree about how much of this is true: some regard the traditional Laozi as largely or wholly legendary, while others think a historical figure is plausible. The book attributed to him, the Tao Te Ching, includes later additions, and some scholars date most of it to the 4th century BC.
The source, and how we checked it
It comes from Tao Te Ching, chapter 33 (translated by James Legge), date uncertain.
We matched the quote word for word against the Project Gutenberg text of James Legge's translation, chapter 33, section 1, where it is the first two sentences. The Tao Te Ching is traditionally attributed to Laozi, but its date and authorship are uncertain, so no date is given. It was written in Chinese, and other translations word it differently. We last checked this on 3 November 2026.