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.

Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

Purity and stillness give the correct law to all under heaven.

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

All things carry yin and embrace yang. They reach harmony by blending with the vital breath.

Seal the openings, shut the doors, and until your last day you will not be exhausted. Widen the openings, interfere, and until your last day you will not be safe.

When goodness is lost, it is replaced by morality.