Act non-action; undertake no undertaking; taste the tasteless.

If you want to accord with the Tao, just do your job, then let go.

Do you want to improve the world? I don't think it can be done. The world is sacred. It can't be improved. If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it. If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it. There is a time for being ahead, a time for being behind; a time for being in motion, a time for being at rest; a time for being vigorous, a time for being exhausted; a time for being safe, a time for being in danger. The Master sees things as they are, without trying to control them. She lets them go their own way, and resides at the center of the circle.

A vessel is formed from a lump of clay with care, however, it is the empty space within the vessel that makes it useful.

He who overcomes others has force; he who overcomes himself is strong.

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you aren't afraid of dying, there is nothing you can't achieve. Trying to control the future is like trying to take the master carpenter's place. When you handle the master carpenter's tools, chances are that you'll cut your hand.

The heavy is the root of the light. The tranquil is the ruler of the hasty.