--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness…" description: "\"When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear. When the body's intelligence declines, cleverness and knowledge step forth. When there is n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/anonymous-1_body_when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness_2623664.jpg" --- # When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety… ![“When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear. When the body's intelligence declines, cleverness and knowledge step forth. When there is no peace in the family, filial piety begins. When the country falls into chaos, patriotism is born.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/anonymous-1_body_when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness_2623664.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/anonymous-1_body_when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness_2623664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/anonymous-1_body_when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness_2623664.jpg) > “When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear. When the body's intelligence declines, cleverness and knowledge step forth. When there is no peace in the family, filial piety begins. When the country falls into chaos, patriotism is born.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When core virtues are neglected, secondary traits emerge to fill the void, reflecting human tendency to compensate for loss of higher values. **In simple terms:** Loss of higher values leads to lesser traits appearing. Key Takeaway Cultivate core virtues to prevent negative compensations. Themes morality society psychology balance compensation Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - family life - community leadership - personal development Key Concepts confucianism social order human behavior Questions to Reflect On - What core virtues are missing in your life? - How can you reinforce them? A Different Perspective Neglecting foundational values can destabilize societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [Filial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filial/) [Filial piety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filial-piety/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Piety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piety/) [Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tao/) ## Related quotes > [A good man regards the root; he fixes the root, and ail else flows out of it. The root is filial piety; the fruit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/a-good-man-regards-the-root-he-fixes-the-root-and-ail-else-flows-out/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [One who was born in the house of a warrior, regardless of his rank or class, first acquaints himself with a man of military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeda-shingen/one-who-was-born-in-the-house-of-a-warrior-regardless-of-his-rank-or/) [Takeda Shingen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeda-shingen/) > [Filial Piety is the principle of Heaven, The righteousness of Earth, And the (proper) conduct of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zengzi/filial-piety-is-the-principle-of-heaven-the-righteousness-of-earth/) Zengzi > [Ancestor worship, or filial piety so characteristic of Asian cultures, for example, does not really resonate with Americans who favor children, not grandparents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/ancestor-worship-or-filial-piety-so-characteristic-of-asian-cultures/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [The law of nature instructs most animals to cherish and educate their infant progeny. The law of reason inculcates to the human species the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-law-of-nature-instructs-most-animals-to-cherish-and-educate-their/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [A youth, when at home, should be filial, and, abroad, respectful to his elders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/a-youth-when-at-home-should-be-filial-and-abroad-respectful-to-his-2/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [One should put forth great effort in matters of learning. One should read books concerning military matters, and direct his attention exclusively to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kato-kiyomasa/one-should-put-forth-great-effort-in-matters-of-learning-one-should/) [Kato Kiyomasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kato-kiyomasa/) > [There are three degrees of filial piety. The highest is being a credit to our parents, the second is not disgracing them; the lowest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/there-are-three-degrees-of-filial-piety-the-highest-is-being-a-credit/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [What we mean by Tao is the way or course of Nature. This way has nothing good or bad, it is a mere flowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-we-mean-by-tao-is-the-way-or-course-of-nature-this-way-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tao invariably takes no action, and yet there is nothing left undone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tao-invariably-takes-no-action-and-yet-there-is-nothing-left-undone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is too facile to say that the way to follow Tao is to simply go along with the flow of life. Sometimes, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-too-facile-to-say-that-the-way-to-follow-tao-is-to-simply-go/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Tao doesn't take sides; it gives birth to both good and evil. The Master doesn't take sides; she welcomes both saints and sinners.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-tao-doesn-t-take-sides-it-gives-birth-to-both-good-and-evil-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do you want to improve the world? I don't think it can be done. The world is sacred. It can't be improved. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-want-to-improve-the-world-i-don-t-think-it-can-be-done-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Whoever is planted in the Tao will not be rooted up. Whoever embraces the Tao will not slip away. Her name will be held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-is-planted-in-the-tao-will-not-be-rooted-up-whoever-embraces/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To understand the limitation of things, desire them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-understand-the-limitation-of-things-desire-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear. When the body's intelligence declines, cleverness and knowledge step forth. When there is no peace in the family, filial piety begins. When the country falls into chaos, patriotism is born.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness-and-piety-appear-when-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness-and-piety-appear-when-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/anonymous-1_body_when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness_2623664.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/anonymous-1_body_when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness_2623664.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/anonymous-1_body_when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness_2623664.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear. When the body's intelligence declines…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When the great Tao is forgotten,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness-and-piety-appear-when-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-great-tao-is-forgotten-goodness-and-piety-appear-when-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```