Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil. Therefore having and not having arise together. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short contrast each other. High and low rest upon each other. Voice and sound harmonize each other. Front and back follow one another.

To lead, one must follow.

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.

On the one hand, loss implies gain; on the other hand, gain implies loss.

In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired. In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.

In the Universe the difficult things are done as if they were easy.

Life and death are one thread.