This week's travel quote comes from Lao-Tzu, a legendary Chinese writer and philosopher. Little is known about his life, but most scholars believe he was born in China during the sixth century BC, making him a contemporary of Confucius.
He is best known for founding the philosophic and religious doctrine of Taoism, the followers of which aim to live lives of simplicity in passive existence with nature. Many of these ideas are derived from Lao-Tzu's most famous work, the Tao Te Ching, within which he wrote, "A good traveler has no plan, and is not intent on arriving."
Whether or not you agree with Lao-Tzu's total life philosophy, I believe travelers can learn something from this quote. If you choose to take it figuratively—as I do—then his words describe a non-goal-oriented type travel which is fluid and capable of evolving in accordance with the outside world. Once you separate your enjoyment of a trip from the accomplishment of a fixed goal, then you allow yourself to enjoy the entirety of the experience, whether or not certain objectives are completed.
While he wrote over 2500 years ago, Lao-Tzu's wisdom still holds true today. Unforeseen things can and do happen when you are on the road; it's your response that dictates whether or not you can salvage something positive from it.
I publish a new travel quote ever week, right here. Do you have a particular one you'd like us to feature in the future? What do you think about this quotation? Let us know in the comments below!
