Wise men hear and see as little children do.

We go from birth to death. Three out of ten follow life. Three out of ten follow death. People who rush from birth to death are also three out of ten. Why is that so? Because they want to make too much of life.

The scholar gains every day; the man of Tao loses every day.

The Way of the Sage is to act but not to compete.

Man, when living, is soft and tender; when dead, he is hard and tough. All animals and plants when living are tender and delicate; when dead they become withered and dry. Therefore it is said: the hard and tough are parts of death; the soft and tender are parts of life.

Weapons are ominous tools. They are not the noble ruler's tools. He only uses them when he can't avoid it.

People turn their eyes and ears to him (the sage), and the sage cares for them like his own children.