That the soft overcomes the hard, and the yielding overcomes the resistant, is a fact known by all, but practiced by few.

Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.

In the Universe the difficult things are done as if they were easy.

People starve. The rulers consume too much with their taxes. That is why people starve.

The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world. That which has no substance enters where there is no space. This shows the value of non-action. Teaching without words, performing without actions: that is the Master's way.

Those who would take over the earth and shape it to their will, never, I notice succeed.

What is well planted will not be uprooted.