To lead, one must follow.
He who knows much about others may be learned, but he who understands himself is more intelligent. He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.
The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be.
The more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people will be. The more laws are promulgated, the more thieves and bandits there will be.
Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.
Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.
The highest truth cannot be put into words.
From caring comes courage.
He who is contented is rich.
The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.
At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
Without going outside, you may know the whole world, without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven. The farther you go, the less you know. Thus the sage knows without traveling; he sees without looking; he works without doing.
Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.
Things flourish, then each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness: Stillness is called return to life, return to life is called the constant; knowing the constant is called enlightenment.
If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself, if you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.
Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.
If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.
Speaking with kindness creates confidence, thinking with kindness creates profoundness, giving with kindness creates love.
The sage seeks freedom from desire. He does not collect precious things. He learns not to hold on to ideas. He brings men back to what they have lost.
Nothing on earth is so weak and yielding as water, but for breaking down the firm and strong it has no equal.