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

The sage never strives for the great, and thereby the great is achieved.

When the worst student hears about the Way, he laughs out loud. If he did not laugh, it would be unworthy of being the Way.

Do you think that you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear. Integral awareness is fluid and adaptable, present in all places and at all times. That is true meditation. ... The Tao is clear and simple, and it doesn't avoid the world.

Heaven and earth are ruthless, and treat the various creatures as straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, and treats others as straw dogs.

It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins.

The greatest teacher has nothing to say. He simply gives himself in service, and never worries.