Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Tao Te Ching  By  cover art

Tao Te Ching

By: Stephen Mitchell, Lao Tzu
Narrated by: Stephen Mitchell
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.49

Buy for $13.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In 81 brief chapters, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, provides advice that imparts balance and perspective, as well as a serene and generous spirit. It teaches us how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao: the basic principle of the universe.

Stephen Mitchell's best-selling version has been widely acclaimed as a gift to contemporary culture.

©1988 Stephen Mitchell (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Stephen Mitchell's rendition of the Tao Te Ching comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine. It embodies the virtues its translator credits to the Chinese original: a gemlike lucidity that is radiant with humor, grace, large-heartedness, and deep wisdom." (Huston Smith, author of The Religions of Man)

Featured Article: I Think, Therefore I Am—Philosophy for Beginners


Philosophy, the study of knowledge, reality, and so much more, is everything and everywhere. It's thinking, both big and small, about existence and the human experience. Learn about the concepts and insights behind the wide-ranging, mystical subject that is philosophy. Feast your ears on these timeless, brilliant audiobooks by and about famous philosophers, from ancient Rome to modern-day thinkers.

What listeners say about Tao Te Ching

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4,346
  • 4 Stars
    591
  • 3 Stars
    195
  • 2 Stars
    63
  • 1 Stars
    58
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,551
  • 4 Stars
    557
  • 3 Stars
    226
  • 2 Stars
    39
  • 1 Stars
    53
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,709
  • 4 Stars
    408
  • 3 Stars
    168
  • 2 Stars
    48
  • 1 Stars
    41

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Tao as Lao Tse would write it today.

Stephen Mitchell has proved himself a master of translating in the most fundamental meaning of that term. He carries across not only the denotation of the words but the cultural contexts that are its connotation and which make the words live in our own culture as they did in their own. Mitchell has rescued Rilke from the gravel of Deutsch-speak and has presented the Tao as a Master himself--he not only presents the words to the reader but he subjects the reader to the words. Thus he accomplished what Lao Tse himself attempted--to make that which cannot be contained in word become alive within the words.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

4 those who want to know how not to know, ya know?

One of the best books I have ever listened to. Both the content and the narration were extremely valuable. The way it is read transfers a meditative state to me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Tool for Calming the Mind

This is a beautifully translated, softly spoken masterpiece of meditative literature. I listen to it for calm on the subway and to help let go of my attachments to the impermanent. It helps me find focus at work, avoid drinking, and be a more whole, more compassionate person. The philosophy is simple and elegant and a great tool to examine your own mind. I've even made peace with the annoying advertisement at the end, which I've come to see as a helpful reminder of the impermanence of even our own self mastery.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I would put on repeat, but that woman...

.... I didn't pay to hear that woman at the end, someone please fix that.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The most impactful book of my life

The subject says it all. Nothing seems to convey how the world works better then Tao Te Ching. Read it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this translation

So much beauty and truth in these words. A guide for authentic and serenely peaceful daily living.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

inspirational.

good book. it's very detailed to life's story's but very much listening to understand the philosophy to the wise tale.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love, Love, Love!

This has been a go to book of mine since the ‘90s. I used to listen to it on a cassette tape. No one, in my opinion, has a better interpretation of the Tao Te Ching than Stephen Mitchell. I’m so glad it’s an audible book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I can listen to it again and again!

The narrator has a very relaxing voice. The interpreter did a phenomenal job translating the ancient text. The info is relevant and meaningful. It gets me into a peaceful mindset.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

opening

eye opening. heart opening. if all listened to and embraced these teachings, peace would prevail.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!