--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When things (in the vegetable world) have…" description: "\"“When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root.”\" — Lao Tzu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/lao-tzu-624_vegetable_when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have_2640692.jpg" --- # When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their… ![“When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root.” quote by Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/lao-tzu-624_vegetable_when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have_2640692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/lao-tzu-624_vegetable_when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have_2640692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/lao-tzu-624_vegetable_when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have_2640692.jpg) > ““When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root.”” [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. Natural growth follows a cycle: flourishing is followed by a return to origins, emphasizing humility and balance. **In simple terms:** Growth ends with returning to roots. Key Takeaway Embrace humility after success. Themes growth humility balance cycle Mood reflective calm wise Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - personal development - gardening - seasonal planning Key Concepts philosophy nature spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay grounded after achievement? - What does “root” mean to you? A Different Perspective Not all returns are regression; they can be renewal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Growth Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth-return-2266020/) [Luxuriant Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxuriant-growth-2266017/) [Things Vegetable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-vegetable-2266019/) [Vegetable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetable/) [Vegetable World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetable-world-2266018/) ## Related quotes > [I kind of feel for the vegetable world - the vegetarian world. It's almost as if people look at them like aliens or foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-choi/i-kind-of-feel-for-the-vegetable-world-the-vegetarian-world-it-s/) [Roy Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-choi/) > [“Asparagus is the serpent of the vegetable world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/asparagus-is-the-serpent-of-the-vegetable-world/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [My diet is mostly chicken and fish. I make sure I get a lot of vegetables, a lot of fruit. I am a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/my-diet-is-mostly-chicken-and-fish-i-make-sure-i-get-a-lot-of/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) > [Call any vegetable and the chances are good that the vegetable will respond to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/call-any-vegetable-and-the-chances-are-good-that-the-vegetable-will/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [“I resigned myself quite contentedly to the life of a vegetable. I went to cooking school in the morning, had lunch with friends, sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-graham/i-resigned-myself-quite-contentedly-to-the-life-of-a-vegetable-i-went/) [Katharine Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-graham/) > [People underestimate the power of the root vegetable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-tosi/people-underestimate-the-power-of-the-root-vegetable/) [Christina Tosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-tosi/) > [“An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/an-onion-can-make-people-cry-but-there-has-never-been-a-vegetable/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Jicama, which is one of my favorite things in the summer, looks like a really horrendous root vegetable, which it is - it's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoni-porowski/jicama-which-is-one-of-my-favorite-things-in-the-summer-looks-like-a/) [Antoni Porowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoni-porowski/) > [Eating at home is important for us, because we eat out so much when we're away. When I'm at home I cook a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-friel/eating-at-home-is-important-for-us-because-we-eat-out-so-much-when-we/) [Anna Friel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-friel/) > [I'd rather be a Jack-of-all-trades than master of one. If I became an icon, where my whole life was music, I would probably have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-d-rather-be-a-jack-of-all-trades-than-master-of-one-if-i-became-an/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [“The tree feels splintery, nasty to my touch; it feels Floridian, more reptile than vegetable, more stucco than stone. I do loathe this state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-gurganus/the-tree-feels-splintery-nasty-to-my-touch-it-feels-floridian-more/) [Allan Gurganus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-gurganus/) > [I eat eight times a day. But it's what my intake is. I eat all the time, but it's good stuff. You want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-magnussen/i-eat-eight-times-a-day-but-it-s-what-my-intake-is-i-eat-all-the-time/) [Billy Magnussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-magnussen/) > [Non-violence is the policy of the vegetable kingdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/non-violence-is-the-policy-of-the-vegetable-kingdom/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Go vegetable heavy. Reverse the psychology of your plate by making meat the side dish and vegetables the main course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-flay/go-vegetable-heavy-reverse-the-psychology-of-your-plate-by-making/) [Bobby Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-flay/) > [I just became a vegetable for three months. I couldn't talk to people. I was very ill and that was part of the reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-just-became-a-vegetable-for-three-months-i-couldn-t-talk-to-people/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) ## 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 Vegetable quotes > [I just became a vegetable for three months. I couldn't talk to people. I was very ill and that was part of the reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-just-became-a-vegetable-for-three-months-i-couldn-t-talk-to-people/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [Go vegetable heavy. Reverse the psychology of your plate by making meat the side dish and vegetables the main course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-flay/go-vegetable-heavy-reverse-the-psychology-of-your-plate-by-making/) [Bobby Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-flay/) > [Non-violence is the policy of the vegetable kingdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/non-violence-is-the-policy-of-the-vegetable-kingdom/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [I eat eight times a day. But it's what my intake is. I eat all the time, but it's good stuff. You want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-magnussen/i-eat-eight-times-a-day-but-it-s-what-my-intake-is-i-eat-all-the-time/) [Billy Magnussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-magnussen/) > [“The tree feels splintery, nasty to my touch; it feels Floridian, more reptile than vegetable, more stucco than stone. I do loathe this state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-gurganus/the-tree-feels-splintery-nasty-to-my-touch-it-feels-floridian-more/) [Allan Gurganus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-gurganus/) > [I'd rather be a Jack-of-all-trades than master of one. If I became an icon, where my whole life was music, I would probably have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-d-rather-be-a-jack-of-all-trades-than-master-of-one-if-i-became-an/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [Eating at home is important for us, because we eat out so much when we're away. When I'm at home I cook a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-friel/eating-at-home-is-important-for-us-because-we-eat-out-so-much-when-we/) [Anna Friel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-friel/) > [Jicama, which is one of my favorite things in the summer, looks like a really horrendous root vegetable, which it is - it's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoni-porowski/jicama-which-is-one-of-my-favorite-things-in-the-summer-looks-like-a/) [Antoni Porowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoni-porowski/) > [“An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/an-onion-can-make-people-cry-but-there-has-never-been-a-vegetable/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [People underestimate the power of the root vegetable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-tosi/people-underestimate-the-power-of-the-root-vegetable/) [Christina Tosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-tosi/) > [“I resigned myself quite contentedly to the life of a vegetable. I went to cooking school in the morning, had lunch with friends, sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-graham/i-resigned-myself-quite-contentedly-to-the-life-of-a-vegetable-i-went/) [Katharine Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-graham/) > [Call any vegetable and the chances are good that the vegetable will respond to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/call-any-vegetable-and-the-chances-are-good-that-the-vegetable-will/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [My diet is mostly chicken and fish. I make sure I get a lot of vegetables, a lot of fruit. I am a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/my-diet-is-mostly-chicken-and-fish-i-make-sure-i-get-a-lot-of/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) > [I grew up eating fried food. I thought that macaroni and cheese was a vegetable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-alaina/i-grew-up-eating-fried-food-i-thought-that-macaroni-and-cheese-was-a/) [Lauren Alaina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-alaina/) > [I make sure I get a lot of vegetables, a lot of fruit. I am a big fruit man; I am a vegetable man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/i-make-sure-i-get-a-lot-of-vegetables-a-lot-of-fruit-i-am-a-big-fruit/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) [Browse all 112 Vegetable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lao Tzu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have-displayed-their-luxuriant/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Vegetable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have-displayed-their-luxuriant/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/lao-tzu-624_vegetable_when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have_2640692.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/lao-tzu-624_vegetable_when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have_2640692.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/lao-tzu-624_vegetable_when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have_2640692.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to…” — 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": "“When things (in the vegetable world)...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have-displayed-their-luxuriant/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/when-things-in-the-vegetable-world-have-displayed-their-luxuriant/#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 } } ] } ```