1. “Achieve male strength yet retain female receptiveness: as many rivulets flow to one stream, so all will come to him. Thus he retains constant excellence, with the simplicity and purity of a child. Knowing how brightness attracts attention, he always keeps within the shadows, displaying humility to all beneath the sky. In unchanging excellence he does not deviate from the natural way. He who knows how glory shines, yet is humble—see how all men come to him. With unchanging excellence he is as natural as uncarved wood.”
2. "A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants."
3. "A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him. But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves."
4. “All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small.”
5. "All things in the world come from being. And being comes from non-being."
6. “An army that is inflexible never wins a battle. A tree that is unbending easily snaps. The hard and rigid will be broken. The supple and yielding will prevail.”
7. "A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar."
8. "A tree trunk the size of a man grows from a blade as thin as a hair. A tower nine stories high is built from a small heap of earth."
9. “Because of deep love, one is courageous. Because of frugality, one is generous. Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world.”
10. "Be really whole and all things will come to you."
11. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
12. "By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning."
13. “Clay is molded to form a vessel,
But it is on its non-being that the usefulness of the utensil depends.
Doors and windows are cut to make a room,
but it is on its non-being that the utility of the room depends.”
14. "Curb your tongue and senses and you are beyond trouble. Let them loose and you are beyond help."
15. "Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding."
16. “Deep and still, it seems to have existed forever.”
17. "Favor and disgrace are like fear. Favor is in a higher place, and disgrace in a lower place. When you win them you are like being in fear, and when you lose them you are also like being in fear. So favor and disgrace are like fear."
18. “From of old the things that have acquired unity are these: Heaven by unity has become clear; Earth by unity has become steady; The Spirit by unity has become spiritual; The Valley by unity has become full; All things by unity have come into existence.”
19. "Govern a great nation as you would cook a small fish. Do not overdo it."
20. “Heaven and earth are ruthless and treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs.”
21. “Heaven attains wholeness with its clarity;The Earth attains wholeness with its firmness;The Spirit attains wholeness with its transcendence;The Valley attain wholeness when filled;The Myriad Things attain wholeness in life;The Ruler attains wholeness in the correct governance of the people.In effecting this:If Heaven lacked clarity it would be divided;If the Earth lacked firmness it would fly away;If the spirit lacked transcendence it would be exhausted;If the valley lacked fullness it would be depleted;If the myriad things lacked life they would vanish.If the ruler lacks nobility and loftiness he will be tripped up.HenceNobility has lowliness as its rootThe High has the Low as its base.Thus the kings call themselves "the orphan, the lowly, the unworthy."Is this not taking lowliness as the fundamental? Isn't it?In this way you can bring about great effect without burden.Not desiring the rarity of gemsOr the manyness of grains of sand.”
22. "He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.”
23. “He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.”
24. "He who knows enough is enough will always have enough."
25. "He who knows others is wise; He who knows himself is enlightened."
26. "He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much."
27. "He who tip-toes cannot stand; he who strides cannot walk."
28. ”If you understand others you are smart.If you understand yourself you are illuminated.If you overcome others you are powerful.If you overcome yourself you have strength.If you know how to be satisfied you are rich.If you can act with vigor, you have a will.If you don't lose your objectives you can be long-lasting.If you die without loss, you are eternal.”
29. "If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence."
30. "I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men."
31. “In the Universe the difficult things are done as if they were easy.”
32. "It is the Vague and Elusive. Meet it and you will not see its head. Follow it and you will not see its back."
33. “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
34. "Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power."
35. "Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them -- that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."
36. "Loving someone deeply gives you strength; while being deeply loved gives you courage."
37. “Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires.”
38. “Marriage is three parts love and seven parts forgiveness of sins.”
39. “Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.”
40. “Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.”
41. “Once I dreamt that I was a butterfly, fluttering here and there; in all ways a butterfly. I enjoyed my freedom as a butterfly, not knowing that I was Chou. Suddenly I awoke and was surprised to be myself again. Now, how I can tell whether I was a man who dreamt he was a butterfly, or whether I am a butterfly who dreams that she is a man?… This is called the interfusion of things.”
42. "One who is too insistent on his own views finds few to agree with him."
43. "One who knows much about others may be learned, but one who understands himself is more intelligent. One who controls others may be powerful, but one who has mastered himself is mightier still."
44. “People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.”
45. "People in their handling of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure."
46. "Perfect kindness acts without thinking of kindness."
47. "Pride attaches undue importance to the superiority of one's status in the eyes of others; And shame is fear of humiliation at one's inferior status in the estimation of others. When one sets his heart on being highly esteemed, and achieves such rating, then he is automatically involved in fear of losing his status."
48. “Sagehood has nothing to do with governing others but is a matter of ordering oneself. Nobility has nothing to do with power and rank but is a matter of self realization. Attain self-realization, and the whole world is found in the self. Happiness has nothing to do with wealth and status, but is a matter of harmony.”]
49. "Seek not happiness too greedily, and be not fearful of unhappiness."
50. ”Seek not happiness too greedily, and be not fearful of happiness.”
51. "Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength."
52. "The Eternal generates the One. The One generates the Two. The Two generates the Three. The Three generates all things."
53. "The heavy is the root of the light. The tranquil is the ruler of the hasty."
54. "The highest goodness is like water. Water benefits all things and does not compete. It stays in the lowly places which others despise. Therefore it is near The Eternal."
55. “The journey of a thousand leagues begins from beneath your feet.”
56. "The men who are great live with that which is substantial, they do not stay with that which is superficial; they abide with realities, they remain not with what is showy. The one they discard, the other they hold."
57. “There is a thing, formless yet complete.
Before heaven and earth it existed.
Without sound, without substance,
it stands alone and unchanging.
It is all-pervading and unfailing.”
58. "There is no need to run outside for better seeing... Rather abide at the center of your being; For the more you leave it the less you learn. Search your heart and see... The way to do is to be."
59. "The sage wears clothes of coarse cloth but carries jewels in his bosom; He knows himself but does not display himself; He loves himself but does not hold himself in high esteem."
60. "These are my three treasures, Compassion, Frugality, & Humility. Being Compassionate one has Courage, Being Frugal one has Abundance. Being Humble one becomes the chief of all vessels."
61. “The softest things in the world to overcome the hardest things in the world.”
62. "To see things in the seed is genius."
63. “One may think of it as the mother of all beneath Heaven.
We do not know its name, but we call it Tao.”
64. “The five colours blind the eye.
The five tones deafen the ear.The five flavours dull the taste.Racing and hunting madden the mind.Precious things lead one astray.
Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees.He lets go of that and chooses this.”
65. “The good man is the teacher of the bad,
And the bad is the material from which the good may learn.
He who does not value the teacher,
Or greatly care for the material,
Is greatly deluded although he may be learned.
Such is the essential mystery.”
66. “The journey of a thousand leagues begins from beneath your feet.”
67. “The more laws and order are made prominent, The more thieves and robbers there will be.”
68. "The Tao is dark and unfathomable. How can it make her radiant? Because shelets it."
69. “There is no calamity greater than lavish desires. There is no greater guilt than discontentment. And there is no greater disaster than greed.”
70. “There is nothing softer and weaker than water,
And yet there is nothing better for attacking hard and strong things.”
71. “The sage manages affairs without action
And spreads doctrines without words . . .
By acting without action, all things will be in order.”
72. "The sage wears clothes of coarse cloth but carries jewels in his bosom;
He knows himself but does not display himself;
He loves himself but does not hold himself in high esteem."
73. “The Way is empty yet use will not drain it.”
74. "The Way of Heaven does not compete, And yet it skillfully achieves victory. It does not speak, and yet it skillfully responds to things. It comes to you without your invitation."
75. "The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who the people say, We did it ourselves."
76. “The wise man does not lay up treasure; his riches are within. The more he gives to others, the more he has of his own.”
77. “To be worn out is to be renewed.”
78. "To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty."
79. “To lead the people, walk behind them.”
80. “To hold and fill to overflowing
is not as good as to stop in time.
Sharpen a sword-edge to its very sharpest,
And the edge will not last long . . .
Withdraw as soon as your work is done.
Such is Heaven's Way.”
81. “To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.”
82. “To see things in the seed, that is genius.”
83. “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”
84. “To yield is to be preserved whole.
To be bent is to become straight.
To be empty is to be full . . .
To have little is to possess.”
We look at it and do not see it;
Its name is the invisible.
We listen to it and do not hear it;
Its name is the inaudible.
We touch it and do not find it;
Its name is the Subtle (formless).
These three cannot be further probed,
and hence merge into one . . .
Infinite and boundless, it cannot be given any name;
It reverts to nothingness.
This is called shape without shape, form without object.
It is the vague and elusive.
Meet it and you will not see its head.
Follow it and you will not see its back.”
85. “True love is not something one does.It's not something one has.It's not a thing.It's not an action.It's not even a feeling.It's the cause.It communicates without being summoned.”
86. ”Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good.”
87. “Understanding others is wisdom. Understanding yourself is enlightenment.”
88. “What is of all things most yielding
Can overcome that which is most hard
Being substanceless, it can enter in
even where there is no crevice.
That is how I know the value of
action which is actionless.
But that there can be teaching
without words
Value in action which is actionless
Few indeed can understand.
That the yielding conquers the resistant
and the soft conquers the hard
is a fact known by all
but utilized by none.”
89. “When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty,
There arises the recognition of ugliness.
When they know the good as the good,
There arises the perception of evil.
Therefore Being and non-Being produce each other.”
90. "When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you."
91. "While day by day the overzealous student stores up facts for future use, He who has learned to trust nature finds need for ever fewer external directions. He will discard formula after formula, until he reaches the conclusion: Let nature take its course. By letting each thing act in accordance with its own nature, everything that needs to be done gets done."
92. "Without going out-of-doors, one can know all he needs to know. Without even looking out of his window, one can grasp the nature of everything. Without going beyond his own nature, one can achieve ultimate wisdom. Therefore, the intelligent man knows all he needs to know without going away, And sees all he needs to see without looking elsewhere, And does all he needs to do wihout undue exertion."
93. “Who does not trust enough will not be trusted.”
94. "Whosoever knows others is clever.
Whosoever knows himself is wise.Whosoever conquers others has force.Whosoever conquers himself is strong.Whosoever asserts himself has will-power.Whosoever is contented is rich.Whosoever does not lose his place has duration.Whosoever does not perish in death lives."
“Yield and overcome;Bend and be straight;Empty and be full;Wear out and be new;Have little and gain;Have much and be confused.Therefore wise men embrace the oneand set an example to all.Not putting on a display,They shine forth.Not justifying themselves,They are distinguished.Not bosting,They receive recogntion.Not bragging,They never falter.They do not quarrel,So no one quarrels with them.Therefore the ancients say, "Yield and overcome."Is that an empty saying?Be really whole,And all things will come to you.”
