--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In ancient China, the Taoists taught that…" description: "\"In ancient China, the Taoists taught that a constant inner smile, a smile to oneself, insured health, happiness and longevity. Why? Smiling to yourself..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/mantak-chia-54163_ancient_in-ancient-china-the-taoists-taught-that_2402747.png" --- # In ancient China, the Taoists taught that a constant inner… ![“In ancient China, the Taoists taught that a constant inner smile, a smile to oneself, insured health, happiness and longevity. Why? Smiling to yourself is like basking in love: you become your own best friend. Living with an inner smile is to live in harmony with yourself.” quote by Mantak Chia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/mantak-chia-54163_ancient_in-ancient-china-the-taoists-taught-that_2402747.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/mantak-chia-54163_ancient_in-ancient-china-the-taoists-taught-that_2402747.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee8/mantak-chia-54163_ancient_in-ancient-china-the-taoists-taught-that_2402747.png) > “In ancient China, the Taoists taught that a constant inner smile, a smile to oneself, insured health, happiness and longevity. Why? Smiling to yourself is like basking in love: you become your own best friend. Living with an inner smile is to live in harmony with yourself.” [Mantak Chia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mantak-chia/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An inner smile nurtures self‑love, leading to health, happiness, and longevity. **In simple terms:** Self‑love through inner smile promotes well‑being. Key Takeaway Cultivate an inner smile for health and happiness. Themes self‑love health happiness longevity inner peace Mood calm optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily meditation - self‑affirmation - stress relief - wellness routines Key Concepts positive psychology mind‑body connection Taoist practice Questions to Reflect On - Can you recall a moment when self‑kindness improved your day? - How might an inner smile affect physical health? A Different Perspective Skeptics may view it as overly simplistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Basking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basking/) [Best friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friend/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Eastern philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eastern-philosophy/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Longevity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longevity/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Peace of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-of-mind/) [Serenity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serenity/) [Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile/) [Smiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiling/) [Taoism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taoism/) ## Related quotes > [I feel that a genuine, affectionate smile is very important in our day-to-day lives. How one creates that smile largely depends on one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-feel-that-a-genuine-affectionate-smile-is-very-important-in-our-day/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [There is no other world. Nor even this one. What, then, is there? The inner smile provoked in us by the patent nonexistence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-other-world-nor-even-this-one-what-then-is-there-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I have a secret. My inner smile is shining.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/i-have-a-secret-my-inner-smile-is-shining/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [Holding a gentle inner smile during meditation helps to prevent them from trying too hard, getting tense, or being too self-critical. Enjoy your practice!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/holding-a-gentle-inner-smile-during-meditation-helps-to-prevent-them/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When you are facing a stressful situation, use the concept of an inner smile to step back from the problem and bathe it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/when-you-are-facing-a-stressful-situation-use-the-concept-of-an-inner/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“I let my inner smile enliven my being and enhance my health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/i-let-my-inner-smile-enliven-my-being-and-enhance-my-health/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [Committing myself to love in my light, do as I feel. hence, no ego, all humble, connecting to the truth of an inner smile.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-wayans/committing-myself-to-love-in-my-light-do-as-i-feel-hence-no-ego-all/) [Marlon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-wayans/) > [He lay on his chair with his hands clasped above his paunch not reading, or sleeping, but basking like a creature gorged with existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/he-lay-on-his-chair-with-his-hands-clasped-above-his-paunch-not/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [...vicinity to the sea is desirable, because it is easier to do nothing by the sea than anywhere else, and because bathing and basking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-benson/vicinity-to-the-sea-is-desirable-because-it-is-easier-to-do-nothing/) [E.F. 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It was a light so brilliant and white it could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heim/it-was-a-light-that-shone-over-our-faces-our-wounds-and-scars-it-was/) [Scott Heim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heim/) > [To regret the exchange of earthly pleasures for the joys of Heaven, is as if the grovelling caterpillar should lament that it must one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/to-regret-the-exchange-of-earthly-pleasures-for-the-joys-of-heaven-is/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [Those hours given over to basking in the glow of an imagined future, of being carried away in streams of promise by a love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/those-hours-given-over-to-basking-in-the-glow-of-an-imagined-future/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [You were the leaves, basking in the sunlight. I was the root, growing in the darkness ~Danzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masashi-kishimoto/you-were-the-leaves-basking-in-the-sunlight-i-was-the-root-growing-in/) [Masashi Kishimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masashi-kishimoto/) > [They will have time enough, in those endless aeons, to attempt all things, and to gather all knowledge no Gods imagined by our minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/they-will-have-time-enough-in-those-endless-aeons-to-attempt-all/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## More by Mantak Chia > [“Dream Meditation Practices are best performed in an isolated (close to nature) chamber that is clean and dry. Diet should be modified before practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mantak-chia/dream-meditation-practices-are-best-performed-in-an-isolated-close-to/) [Mantak Chia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mantak-chia/) > [“Healthy nutrition is just as much an art as science. 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