He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

Better stop short than fill to the brim. Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt. Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.

Covetousness is the greatest misfortune. One who does not know what is enough will never have enough.

The more laws and orders are multiplied, the more theft and violence increase.

Cultivate virtue in yourself, and it will be true.

Tao is beyond words and beyond understanding. Words may be used to speak of it, but they cannot contain it. Tao existed before words and names, before heaven and earth, before the ten thousand things. It is the unlimited father and mother of all limited things. Therefore, to see beyond boundaries to the subtle heart of things, dispense with names, with concepts, with expectations and ambitions and differences. Tao and its many manifestations arise from the same source: subtle wonder within mysterious darkness. This is the beginning of all understanding.

He who knows himself is enlightened.