The First line of the Tao Te Ching: The Ultimate Teaching

David Gerken
Nov 6 · 3 min read
Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

I believe the Tao Te Ching is the wisest book ever written. This is the first line:

“The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.”

That one sentence carries a gold mine worth of spiritual wisdom. How? I’ll get there quickly (I promise).

Keep the story going. Sign up for an extra free read.

David Gerken

Written by

Former Washington, DC political aide and Writer for THE WEST WING. Currently devoted to spreading meditation to the masses. Follow me at davidgerken.net.

Publishous

Discover tomorrow’s bestsellers today. You'll say you knew them when.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade