A historic best seller and the second most translated book after the Bible. The Tao Te Ching (or Dao De Jing/King) is an ancient Chinese text that literally means "classic" "way" of "virtue," and is a cornerstone of philosophical Taoism. It is attributed to Lao Tzu or "Old Master," who lived during the 6th century BC, and who was a record-keeper at the court of the Zhou Dynasty. This text is translated in English by James Legge. This short text is broken up into 81 "chapters" that read like little epigrams or poems, which can be easily read in a few hours. The simple yet powerful philosophy of Taoism can be contemplated in the image of the Yin Yang symbol: each side of a duality while an opposite also contains its opposite, as in dark/light, male/female, etc. These enduring philosophical poems are graceful and beautiful, and deserve to be memorized.