"The empire is a sacred vessel and cannot be acted on. He who acts on it harms it; he who grasps it loses it."

"The sage puts his own person last, and yet is found in the foremost place."

"When the best student hears the Tao, he practices it diligently. When the average student hears the Tao, he is half-hearted. When the worst student hears the Tao, he laughs out loud. If he did not lau…"

"Deal with the small as with the large."

"To yield is to be preserved whole. To be bent is to be straightened. To be empty is to be filled. To be worn out is to be renewed. To have little is to gain. To have plenty is to be perplexed."