"When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe. When wealth and honors lead to arrogance, this brings disaster upon itself. When the work is done and the name is established, …"

"The more laws and ordinances are promulgated, the more thieves and bandits there will be."

"The sage attends to the inner and not to the outer."

"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 more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people will be."