Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.

Those who know do not talk. Those who talk do not know.

The small is easy to scatter.

A sound man is good at salvage, at seeing nothing is lost

When the great Tao is forgotten, goodness and piety appear. When the body's intelligence declines, cleverness and knowledge step forth. When there is no peace in the family, filial piety begins. When the country falls into chaos, patriotism is born.

Great indeed is the sublimity of the creative, to which all beings owe their beginning and which permeates all heaven.

There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.