--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The name that can be named is not the…" description: "\"“The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.”\" — Lao Tzu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/lao-tzu-624_enduring_the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-en_3123597.jpg" --- # The name that can be named is not the enduring and… ![“The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.” quote by Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/lao-tzu-624_enduring_the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-en_3123597.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/lao-tzu-624_enduring_the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-en_3123597.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/lao-tzu-624_enduring_the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-en_3123597.jpg) > ““The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.”” [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Names are temporary; the true essence remains unchanged. **In simple terms:** Names change, essence stays. Key Takeaway Focus on underlying reality. Themes impermanence essence language Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - daily life - spiritual practice - communication - teaching Key Concepts nominalism philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you see beyond labels? - What is the unchanging core of a thing? A Different Perspective Names can mislead understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enduring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enduring/) [Enduring Unchanging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enduring-unchanging-5215711/) [Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/name/) [Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/named/) [Named Enduring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/named-enduring-5495090/) [Unchanging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unchanging/) ## Related quotes > [“The Tao that can be described is not the enduring and unchanging Tao.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-tao-that-can-be-described-is-not-the-enduring-and-unchanging-tao/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [Heaven is long-enduring, and earth continues long. The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/heaven-is-long-enduring-and-earth-continues-long-the-reason-why/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“To know that unchanging rule is to be intelligent; not to know it leads to wild movements and evil issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/to-know-that-unchanging-rule-is-to-be-intelligent-not-to-know-it/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“It as non-existent (and not named).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/it-as-non-existent-and-not-named/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [It's only the losers named 'Dave' that think having an unusual name is bad, and who cares what they think? They're named 'Dave.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/it-s-only-the-losers-named-dave-that-think-having-an-unusual-name-is/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [I had written a tune called 'Shake, Rattle and Roll,' but the white stations refused to play it - they thought it was low-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-stone/i-had-written-a-tune-called-shake-rattle-and-roll-but-the-white/) [Jesse Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-stone/) > [As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-clear-when-politicians-and/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [I have reared a memorial more enduring than brass, and loftier than the regal structure of the pyramids, which neither the corroding shower nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/i-have-reared-a-memorial-more-enduring-than-brass-and-loftier-than/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/nothing-great-is-ever-achieved-without-much-enduring/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [I believe that the Constitution is an enduring document.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-believe-that-the-constitution-is-an-enduring-document/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [When Caroline Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 as her father's rightful heir, she laid upon him the mantle of Camelot and the enduring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-kelley/when-caroline-kennedy-endorsed-barack-obama-in-2008-as-her-father-s/) [Kitty Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-kelley/) > [During his presidency, Truman and the Republicans were locked in a series of furious assaults on each other that outraged him and made Truman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/during-his-presidency-truman-and-the-republicans-were-locked-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [If we are deprived of hope as well as fear, we are compensated by being given an almost endless patience for enduring or simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/if-we-are-deprived-of-hope-as-well-as-fear-we-are-compensated-by/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) ## More by Lao Tzu > [“This is how they are able to continue and endure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/this-is-how-they-are-able-to-continue-and-endure/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Gravity is the root of lightness;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/gravity-is-the-root-of-lightness/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Therefore the Tao is great;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/therefore-the-tao-is-great/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/not-seeking-not-expecting-she-is-present-and-can-welcome-all-things/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“What all men fear is indeed to be feared;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/what-all-men-fear-is-indeed-to-be-feared/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Just remain in the center; watching. And then forget that you are there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/just-remain-in-the-center-watching-and-then-forget-that-you-are-there/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“This is what is called 'The mysterious Quality' (of the Tao).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/this-is-what-is-called-the-mysterious-quality-of-the-tao/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you will not shine. If you boast, you will have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-you-show-yourself-you-will-not-be-seen-if-you-affirm-yourself-you/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-thirty-spokes-unite-in-the-one-nave-but-it-is-on-the-empty-space/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“To know and yet (think) we do not know is the highest (attainment); not to know (and yet think) we do know is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/to-know-and-yet-think-we-do-not-know-is-the-highest-attainment-not-to/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/he-who-knows-other-men-is-discerning-he-who-knows-himself-is/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“If you are depressed, you are living in the past; if you are anxious, you are living in the present; if you are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-you-are-depressed-you-are-living-in-the-past-if-you-are-anxious/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Simplicity without a name Is free from all external aim. With no desire, at rest and still, All things go right as of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/simplicity-without-a-name-is-free-from-all-external-aim-with-no/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/when-gold-and-jade-fill-the-hall-their-possessor-cannot-keep-them-safe/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/we-listen-to-it-and-we-do-not-hear-it-and-we-name-it-the-inaudible/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) [Explore all 434 Lao Tzu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) ## More Enduring quotes > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [If we are deprived of hope as well as fear, we are compensated by being given an almost endless patience for enduring or simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/if-we-are-deprived-of-hope-as-well-as-fear-we-are-compensated-by/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [During his presidency, Truman and the Republicans were locked in a series of furious assaults on each other that outraged him and made Truman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/during-his-presidency-truman-and-the-republicans-were-locked-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [When Caroline Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 as her father's rightful heir, she laid upon him the mantle of Camelot and the enduring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-kelley/when-caroline-kennedy-endorsed-barack-obama-in-2008-as-her-father-s/) [Kitty Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-kelley/) > [I believe that the Constitution is an enduring document.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketanji-brown-jackson/i-believe-that-the-constitution-is-an-enduring-document/) [Ketanji Brown Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketanji-brown-jackson/) > [Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/nothing-great-is-ever-achieved-without-much-enduring/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [I have reared a memorial more enduring than brass, and loftier than the regal structure of the pyramids, which neither the corroding shower nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/i-have-reared-a-memorial-more-enduring-than-brass-and-loftier-than/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-clear-when-politicians-and/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [The religious is any activity pursued in behalf of an ideal end against obstacles and in spite of threats of personal loss because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-religious-is-any-activity-pursued-in-behalf-of-an-ideal-end/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [I think there is something about a story that is enduring. Stories take on a life of their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-think-there-is-something-about-a-story-that-is-enduring-stories/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [The difference between the forgettable and the enduring is artistry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/the-difference-between-the-forgettable-and-the-enduring-is-artistry/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [All through history, a nation or a civilization's enduring glory is articulated by its mega constructions - the pyramids, the lofty cathedrals of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/all-through-history-a-nation-or-a-civilization-s-enduring-glory-is/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Enduring the pain makes a person strong to whatever pain that will come again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-salan/enduring-the-pain-makes-a-person-strong-to-whatever-pain-that-will/) [Lilian Salan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-salan/) > [“Azriel lingered near the door, quiet enough that when Feyre and Mor began talking about some of her paintings, Nesta went over to him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/azriel-lingered-near-the-door-quiet-enough-that-when-feyre-and-mor/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) [Browse all 197 Enduring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enduring/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lao Tzu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-enduring-and-unchanging-name/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enduring" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-enduring-and-unchanging-name/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/lao-tzu-624_enduring_the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-en_3123597.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/lao-tzu-624_enduring_the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-en_3123597.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afd/lao-tzu-624_enduring_the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-en_3123597.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.” — Lao Tzu", "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": "Lao Tzu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The name that can be named...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-enduring-and-unchanging-name/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-name-that-can-be-named-is-not-the-enduring-and-unchanging-name/#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 } } ] } ```