Lao Tzu on holding a debt without pressing for it. From Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, about the 4th century BC.
In Warring States China, about 300 BC, a loan could be written on a tally of wood or bamboo. The tally was split in two, and lender and borrower each kept a half.
To collect, the halves were fitted together. If they matched, the debt was proven. Chapter 79 of the Tao Te Ching, credited to Lao Tzu, turns this everyday object into a lesson.
Chapter 79 of the Tao Te Ching says that when a great quarrel is patched up, a grudge remains. So the wise one keeps his half of the tally but does not press for payment. An old story tells of Feng Xuan, who burned his lord’s debt tallies in the town of Xue. When the lord fell from favor, its people came out on the road to meet him.
Remember what you are owed if you must, but stop collecting. Practical advice: pick one small debt you keep bringing up, and drop it.
Likely, on the evidence · checked against 6 sourcesPick one small debt you keep bringing up, and let it go for good.
“I keep track of everything my partner owes me, and it’s making us both tense. How do I stop?”
Stop Sending the Bill and the other 11 ideas of Tao Te Ching, a minute at a time.
Download on theApp StoreEvery 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.
