How do I know that loving life is not a delusion? How do I know that in hating death I am not like a man who, having left home in his youth, has forgotten the way back?

The perfect man of old looked after himself first before looking to help others.

Heaven does without doing through its purity, Earth does without doing through its calmness.

Rewards and punishments are the lowest form of education.

If a man is crossing the river and an empty boat collides with his skiff, even though he is a bad tempered man he will not become very angry. But if he sees a man in the other boat he will scream and shout and curse at the man to steer clear. If you can empty your own boat crossing the river of the world, no one will oppose you, no one will seek to harm you. Thus is the perfect man - his boat is empty.

Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy

Words exist because of meaning; once you’ve gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.