Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish, too much handling will spoil it.
Rituals are the end of fidelity and honesty, and the beginning of confusion.
Those who advice the ruler on the Way, do not want the world subdued with weapons.
Those who know it do not speak about it. Those who speak about it do not know it.
The sage never strives for the great, and thereby the great is achieved.
Good words shall gain you honor in the marketplace, but good deeds shall gain you friends among men.