A climb of eight hundred feet starts where the foot stands.

A skillful commander is not overbearing. A skillful fighter does not become angry. A skillful conqueror does not compete with people. One who is skillful in using men puts himself below them. This is called the strength to use men. This is called matching Heaven, The highest principle of old.

He who knows himself is enlightened.

The best soldiers are not warlike; the best fighters do not lose their temper. The greatest conquerors are those who overcome their enemies without strife. The greatest directors of men are those who yield place to others. This is called the Virtue of not striving, the capacity for directing mankind; this is being the compeer of Heaven. It was the highest goal of the ancients.

Let the country be small, and the inhabitants few.

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.

Whatever is flexible and living will tend to grow; whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die.