All things in nature work silently. They come into being and possess nothing. They fulfill their function and make no claim. All things alike do their work, and then we see them subside. When they have reached their bloom, each returns to its origin. . . . This reversion is an eternal law. To know that law is wisdom.

What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.

That which offers no resistance, overcomes the hardest substances.

The (method of) correction shall by a turn become distortion, and the good in it shall by a turn become evil.

Searching for precious goods leads astray.

The Tao is told is not the Tao.

The one who is filled by virtue is like a newborn baby.