Use justice to rule a country. Use surprise to wage war. Use non-action to govern the world.

In the world there are four greats, and the king is one of them.

Those who die without being forgotten get longevity.

What is strong and rigid is snapped and laid low. What is flexible and soft will always prevail.

Who is there who can make muddy waters clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will gradually clear itself.

The True Person avoids extremes, self-indulgence, and extravagance.

The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things. Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding.