--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [The Master] doesn't glitter like a…" description: "\"[The Master] doesn't glitter like a jewel... [but is] as rugged and common as a stone.\" — Laozi" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df7/laozi-147_common_the-master-doesn-t-glitter-like-a-jewel_1986206.jpg" --- # \[The Master\] doesn't glitter like a jewel... \[but is\] as… ![“[The Master] doesn't glitter like a jewel... [but is] as rugged and common as a stone.” quote by Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df7/laozi-147_common_the-master-doesn-t-glitter-like-a-jewel_1986206.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df7/laozi-147_common_the-master-doesn-t-glitter-like-a-jewel_1986206.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df7/laozi-147_common_the-master-doesn-t-glitter-like-a-jewel_1986206.jpg) > “\[The Master\] doesn't glitter like a jewel... \[but is\] as rugged and common as a stone.” [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True mastery is humble and unadorned, like a plain stone, not flashy like a jewel. **In simple terms:** Great skill is modest and ordinary. Key Takeaway Seek substance over show. Themes humility mastery authenticity Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - leadership - craftsmanship - personal growth - spiritual practice Key Concepts Taoism philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you value substance over appearance? - What does true mastery look like in your life? A Different Perspective It may be overlooked if not recognized as valuable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Glitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glitter/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Mastery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mastery/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) ## Related quotes > [The Master doesn't seek fulfillment. For only those who are not full are able to be used which brings the feeling of completeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-master-doesn-t-seek-fulfillment-for-only-those-who-are-not-full/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Actually, diamonds are a very common stone. I prefer emeralds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbi-benton/actually-diamonds-are-a-very-common-stone-i-prefer-emeralds/) [Barbi Benton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbi-benton/) > [“The Master doesn't try to be powerful; thus he is truly powerful. The ordinary man keeps reaching for power; thus he never has enough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-master-doesn-t-try-to-be-powerful-thus-he-is-truly-powerful-the/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [The Intuitive one can read where the Master doesn't write and listen where the Master doesn't talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/the-intuitive-one-can-read-where-the-master-doesn-t-write-and-listen/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) > [Sex, drugs, money, power etc. Just because you get to choose your master doesn't mean you aren't a slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/sex-drugs-money-power-etc-just-because-you-get-to-choose-your-master/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [The Master views the parts with compassion, because he understands the whole. His constant practice is humility. He doesn't glitter like a jewel but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-master-views-the-parts-with-compassion-because-he-understands-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In harmony with the Tao, the sky is clear and spacious, the earth is solid and full, all creature flourish together, content with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-harmony-with-the-tao-the-sky-is-clear-and-spacious-the-earth-is/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [And I have found Demetrius, like a jewel, Mine own, and not mine own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakespeare/and-i-have-found-demetrius-like-a-jewel-mine-own-and-not-mine-own/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakespeare/) > [“Living all alone! The freedom! Rather than being known as the Human Calculator, I’d be That Really Cool Chick Who Lives by Herself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-banks/living-all-alone-the-freedom-rather-than-being-known-as-the-human/) [Piper Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-banks/) > [“Joy is like a jewel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/joy-is-like-a-jewel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [ “...if true love breaks as easily as a delusion, on what can we rely? What will people pin their hopes on?" \[Nilima\] "They'll have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saratchandra-chattopadhyay/if-true-love-breaks-as-easily-as-a-delusion-on-what-can-we-rely-what/) Saratchandra Chattopadhyay > [I'd love to have been in things like 'The Jewel in the Crown,' but of course they're terribly old English. I can do that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mckenzie/i-d-love-to-have-been-in-things-like-the-jewel-in-the-crown-but-of/) Julia McKenzie > [I'd say a watch is like a jewel of the man. It's really to distinguish yourself, because in your watch people can see who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-guadalupe/i-d-say-a-watch-is-like-a-jewel-of-the-man-it-s-really-to-distinguish/) [Ricardo Guadalupe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-guadalupe/) > [Life is like a jewel that we treasure forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carina-b/life-is-like-a-jewel-that-we-treasure-forever/) =carina B= > [If I could be granted a wish, I'd shine in your eye like a jewel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/if-i-could-be-granted-a-wish-i-d-shine-in-your-eye-like-a-jewel/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) ## More by Laozi > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In lightness the root is lost. In haste the ruler is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-lightness-the-root-is-lost-in-haste-the-ruler-is-lost/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [If the sage wants to stand above people, he must speak to them from below. If he wants to lead people, he must follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-the-sage-wants-to-stand-above-people-he-must-speak-to-them-from/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Goodie-goodies are the thieves of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/goodie-goodies-are-the-thieves-of-virtue/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [He that humbles himself shall be preserved entire. He that bends shall be made straight. He that is empty shall be filled. He that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-that-humbles-himself-shall-be-preserved-entire-he-that-bends-shall/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [The Way of the Sage is to act but not to compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-way-of-the-sage-is-to-act-but-not-to-compete/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Do nondoing, strive for nonstriving, savor the flavorless, regard the small as important, make much of little, repay enmity with virtue; plan for difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/do-nondoing-strive-for-nonstriving-savor-the-flavorless-regard-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Without looking through the window, you can see Heaven's Way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/without-looking-through-the-window-you-can-see-heaven-s-way/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Can you dissolve your ego? Can you abandon the idea of self and other? Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [What's the difference between beautiful and ugly?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-s-the-difference-between-beautiful-and-ugly/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In stillness the muddied water returns to clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-stillness-the-muddied-water-returns-to-clarity/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [He (the sage) is good to those who are good. He is also good to those who are not good. That is the virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-the-sage-is-good-to-those-who-are-good-he-is-also-good-to-those/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [There is a thing inherent and natural which existed before heaven and earth. Motionless and fathomless, It stands alone and never changes; It pervades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/there-is-a-thing-inherent-and-natural-which-existed-before-heaven-and/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-is-a-good-man-but-a-bad-man-s-teacher-what-is-a-bad-man-but-a/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Explore all 1,140 Laozi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) Browse all 7,866 Common quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[The Master] doesn't glitter like a jewel... 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