Lamenting the disparity between the eternal character of the Way and the fleetingness of human existence is a basic feature of Daoist life. Illuminating the affairs of men As well as complementing Confucian philosophy, which concentrated on constructing an ethical framework for human relations, and had relatively little to say about the natural universe, Laozi's discourse on the Way also created the distinctive spiritual element in Chinese art.
老子對道的論述，除彌補了儒家哲學側重於倫理學的架構與對自然宇宙較少的討論，也創造了中國藝術中特有的精神層次。