A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.
Clay is used to make vases, but it is the emptiness they contain that makes them useful.
Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Watch your thoughts, they become words.
I have three treasures that I cherish. The first is compassion. The second is moderation. The third is not claiming to be first in the world.
Without the tao, Kindness and compassion are replaced by law and justice; Faith and trust are supplanted by ritual and ceremony.