Knowing ignorance is strength; ignoring knowledge is sickness.
Those who make their living by collecting taxes cause the people to starve; when the people starve, the tax collectors, having no one to tax, starve also.
The good leader carries water for his people.
When the worst student hears about the Way, he laughs out loud. If he did not laugh, it would be unworthy of being the Way.
The usefulness of the pot lies in its emptiness.
Just as the value of a house lies in its location, The value of a mind lies in its depth, The value of giving lies in the presence of a generous spirit, The value of words lies in their reliability.
Heaven and earth are ruthless, and treat the various creatures as straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, and treats others as straw dogs.
Clay is used to make vases, but it is the emptiness they contain that makes them useful.
Covetousness is the greatest misfortune. One who does not know what is enough will never have enough.
The sage never strives for the great, and thereby the great is achieved.
Racing and hunting excite man’s heart to madness.
Prepare while it’s easy.
The words of truth are always paradoxical. To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
Things are not worth attending to, yet they have to be attended to.
Those who know do not speak; Those who speak do not know. Stop up the openings, Close down the doors, Rub off the sharp edges. Unravel all confusion. Harmonize the light, Give up contention: This is called finding the unity of life.
What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher? What is a bad man but a good man’s job? If you do not remember this, You will get lost, No matter how intelligent you are. It is the great secret.
Human being’s essential nature is perfect and faultless...
What is strong and rigid is snapped and laid low. What is flexible and soft will always prevail.
We desire to understand the world by giving names to the things we see, but these things are only the effects of something subtle.
Leadership is your ability to hide your panic from others.