The sage honors his part of the settlement, but does not exact his due from others.

So the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, and the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants.

Only fools seek power, and the greatest fools seek it through force.

Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.

The sage's Way is to act and not to contend.

She who is centered in the Tao can go where she wishes, without danger. She perceives the universal harmony, even amid great pain, because she has found peace in her heart. Music or the smell of good cooking may make people stop and enjoy. But words that point to the Tao seem monotonous and without flavor. When you look for it, there is nothing to see. When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear. When you use it, it is inexhaustible.

The more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people will be. The more laws are promulgated, the more thieves and bandits there will be.