He who gains a victory over other men is strong; but he who gains a victory over himself is all powerful.

In the Way of Heaven, there is no partiality of love; it is always on the side of the good man.

The sage acts by doing nothing.

The sage does not hoard. The more he helps others, the more he benefits himself, The more he gives to others, the more he gets himself. The Way of Heaven does one good but never does one harm. The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete.

From now back to antiquity, its (Tao's) name has not been lost. Thereby, see the origin of all.

Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice. Therefore the Master remains serene in the midst of sorrow. Evil cannot enter his heart. Because he has given up helping, he is people's greatest help. True words seem paradoxical.

The sage avoids extremity, excess, and extravagance.