The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own. — Lao Tzu

The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.

Author: Lao Tzu

Insight: There's something almost mathematical about generosity that doesn't make sense until you live it. When you give something away—time, attention, a skill, even money—you'd think you'd end up with less. But people who actually give find something strange happens: they end up richer in ways that matter. A mentor who shares knowledge doesn't lose expertise; they deepen it. A friend who listens well finds others listening back. The giver becomes someone people want to be around, help, and trust with their own gifts. The catch is that this only works if you're not secretly keeping score. The moment you give to get something back, you've already broken the loop. Real generosity comes from a kind of abundance mindset—the belief that there's enough to go around, so sharing doesn't threaten your own survival or success. Paradoxically, that mindset creates the very abundance it assumes. You stop hoarding because you're not afraid of scarcity, and that freedom is exactly what attracts good things back to you. In a world obsessed with accumulation, this feels almost radical. But notice who actually seems to have what they need—not always the person with the most stuff, but often the person who moves through life with open hands.

Source: Tao Te Ching, verse 81