Excellent conquerors do not engage.

Heaven and Earth last for ever. Why do Heaven and Earth last for ever? They are unborn, so ever living. The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead. He is detached, thus at one with all. Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.

It is as though he listened and such listening as his enfolds us in silence in which at last we begin to hear what we are meant to be.

He who has no faith in others shall find no faith in them.

There is nothing softer and weaker than water, and yet there is nothing better for attacking hard and strong things.

The cords of passion and desire weave a binding net around you. Worldly confrontation makes you stiff and inflexible. The trap of duality is tenacious. Bound, rigid, and trapped, you cannot experience liberation.

Chanting is no more holy than listening to the murmur of a stream, counting prayer beads no more sacred than simply breathing. . . . If you wish to attain oneness with the Tao, don't get caught up in spiritual superficialities.