The fish cannot leave the deep waters. The state's weaponry should not be displayed.

The more clever and cunning people are, the stranger the events will be.

Pain and happiness are simply conditions of the ego. Forget the ego.

He who acts, spoils; he who grasps, lets slip.

The softest in the world surpasses the hardest in the world.

The Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done. If powerful men and women could venter themselves in it, the whole world would be transformed by itself, in its natural rhythms. People would be content with their simple, everyday lives, in harmony, and free of desire. When there is no desire, all things are at peace.

Have patience. Wait until the mud settles and the water is clear. Remain unmoving until right action arises by itself.