Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.

ALL things in Nature work silently. They come into being and possess nothing. They fulfil their functions and make no claim.

Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.

Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you.

The sage's Way is to act and not to contend.

The one who rules like the mother lasts long.

Superior leaders get things done with very little motion. They impart instruction not through many words, but through a few deeds. They keep informed about everything but interfere hardly at all. They are catalysts, and though things would not get done as well if they were not there, when they succeed they take no credit. And, because they take no credit, credit never leaves them.