"The sage is always without ambition."

"Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt."

"When the great Tao is abandoned, there is humanity and righteousness. When wisdom and intelligence appear, there is great hypocrisy."

"Careful, like crossing a river in the winter. Wary, as if surrounded by strangers."

"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Too much handling will spoil it."