The Tao Te Ching (or Dao De Jing/King) is an ancient Chinese text that literally means "classic" "way" of "virtue," and is a cornerstone of philosophical Taoism. It is attributed to Lao Tzu or "Old Master," who lived during the 6th century BC, and who was a record-keeper at the court of the Zhou Dynasty.

This short text is broken up into 81 "chapters" that read like little epigrams or poems, which can be easily read in a few hours. The simple yet powerful philosophy of Taoism can be contemplated in the image of the Yin Yang symbol: each side of a duality while an opposite also contains its opposite, as in dark/light, male/female, etc. These enduring philosophical poems are graceful and beautiful, and deserve to be memorized.