"Those who seek to please others are always slaves."

"If a man is crossing a river and an empty boat collides with his own skiff, even though he be a bad-tempered man he will not get angry. But if he sees a man in the boat, he will shout at him to steer …"

"To forget the whole world is to be a true wanderer. To forget the whole world is to find the Way."

"The true man of Tao lives in the world, but is not of the world."

"When the mind is not agitated, it is in its natural state. When it is agitated, it is like a trapped bird."