The rigid and big belong below. The soft and weak belong above.

The value of actions lies in their timing.

The sage knows himself, but does not parade. He cherishes himself, but does not praise himself.

Accept disgrace willingly... Accept being unimportant... Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things. Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

The weak overcomes the strong. The soft overcomes the hard. Everybody in the world knows this, still nobody makes use of it.

Acting without design, occupying oneself without making a business of it, finding the great in what is small and the many in the few, repaying injury with kindness, effecting difficult things while they are easy, and managing great things in their beginnings; this is the method of Tao.