...the more you talk of it, the less you understand.

If you overesteem great men, people become powerless. If you overvalue possessions, people begin to steal. The Master leads by emptying people's minds and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve. He helps people lose everything they know, everything they desire, and creates confusion in those who think that they know. Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place.

Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.

Gain or loss, what is worse?

The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Through this I know the advantage of taking no action.

Do not conquer the world with force, for force only causes resistance. Thorns spring up when an army passes. Years of misery follow a great victory. Do only what needs to be done without using violence.

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