Tao Te Ching · Part 2, Without forcing · Idea 7 of 12

Get Off Your Tiptoes

Lao Tzu on why showing off makes you less steady. From Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, about the 4th century BC.

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A painting for Get Off Your Tiptoes

Where it comes from.

Around 318 BC, King Xuan of Qi paid scholars to debate by a gate of his capital, Linzi. Seventy-six were given houses and the rank of high ministers. Hundreds more came, each hoping to be heard.

A book from that age, the Tao Te Ching, warned anyone straining to be seen. Tradition credits it to Lao Tzu, though no one knows for sure who he was.

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The idea in short

The Tao Te Ching says one who stands on tiptoe does not stand firm, and one who shows himself off does not shine. In 1628, Sweden’s warship Vasa was built as a display of its king’s power, with heavy guns and hundreds of carved figures. Too tall above the water, it sank minutes into its first voyage.

Standing on tiptoe makes you taller for a minute; standing flat lets you stay. Practical advice: in your next meeting, ask one question you would usually be too proud to ask.

Likely, on the evidence · checked against 8 sources

Make it yours.

Make it your step

In your next meeting, ask one question you’d usually be too proud to ask.

Ask your council

“At my new job I keep pretending to know things I don’t. How do I stop without looking weak?”

Sources.

  1. The Tao Teh King, or the Tao and its Characteristics, translated by James Legge, Attributed to Lao Tzu (Project Gutenberg), 1891The text
  2. Laozi, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2025
  3. Laozi, Wikipedia, 2026
  4. Jixia Academy, Wikipedia, 2026
  5. Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), chapter 46: the Tian family of Qi, Chinese text, Sima Qian (Wikisource)The text
  6. Vasa (ship), Wikipedia, 2026
  7. The Disaster, The Vasa Museum, 2026
  8. Art on Vasa, The Vasa Museum, 2026

Tao Te Ching, in 12 ideas.

  1. 1
    Use the Empty SpaceLao Tzu on why the empty part makes a thing useful
  2. 2
    Subtract Something DailyLao Tzu on getting better by taking things away
  3. 3
    Know When It’s EnoughLao Tzu on the trouble with never having enough
  4. 4
    Stop Before It SpillsLao Tzu on stepping back when the work is done
  5. 5
    Start With One StepLao Tzu on why every big thing starts small
  6. 6
    Turn the Fish OnceLao Tzu on why too much change spoils good work
  7. 7
    Get Off Your TiptoesLao Tzu on why showing off makes you less steady
  8. 8
    Let the Mud SettleLao Tzu on why a churned-up mind clears when you stop stirring it
  9. 9
    Let Them Say We Did ItLao Tzu on the leader people hardly notice
  10. 10
    Stop Sending the BillLao Tzu on holding a debt without pressing for it
  11. 11
    Trust the Plain WordsLao Tzu on sincere words and fine-sounding ones
  12. 12
    Keep the Three TreasuresLao Tzu on gentleness, thrift and not pushing to be first
PreviousTurn the Fish Once
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Get Off Your Tiptoes and the other 11 ideas of Tao Te Ching, a minute at a time.

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Every idea is drawn from the public-domain text, and its names, dates and quotes are checked against the sources listed with it. The paintings are made for Counsel; they show the scene, not a historical record.

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