"To see things in the seed, that is genius."

"The career of a sage is of two kinds: He is either honored by all in the world, Like a flower waving its head, Or else he disappears into the silent forest."

"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment."

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."

"There was something undifferentiated and yet complete, which existed before Heaven and Earth. Soundless and formless, it depends on nothing and does not change. It operates everywhere and is free from danger. It may be considered the mother of the universe. I do not know its name; I call it Tao."

"Just remain in the center, watching. And then forget that you are there."

"All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small."

"Great acts are made up of small deeds."

"The reality of the building does not consist in the roof and walls but in the space within to be lived in."

"If you are untrustworthy, people will not trust you."

"Stop thinking, and end your problems."

"Material and infinite are inseparableAppreciating their interconnectednessis the gateway to understanding."

"Rushing into action, you fail.Trying to grasp things, you lose them.Forcing a project to completion,you ruin what was almost ripe.Therefore the Master takes actionby letting things take their course.He remains as calm at the end as at the beginning.He has nothing,thus has nothing to lose.What he desires is non-desire;what he learns is to unlearn.He simply reminds peopleof who they have always been.He cares about nothing but the Tao.Thus he can care for all things."

"(So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged; he who is self-conceited has no superiority allowed to him."

"Nature is not human hearted."

"Existence is beyond the power of wordsTo define:Terms may be usedBut are none of them absolute.In the beginning of heaven and earth there were no words,Words came out of the womb of matter;And whether a man dispassionatelySees to the core of lifeOr passionatelySees the surface,The core and the surfaceAre essentially the same,Words making them seem differentOnly to express appearance.If name be needed, wonder names them both:From wonder into wonderExistence opens."

"He who has no faith in others shall find no faith in them."

"Violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself."

"If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it."

"Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil."

"Time is a created thing. To say, "I don't have time" is like saying "I don't want to."

"Manifest plainness Embrace simplicity Reduce selfishness Have few desires."

"Allow the heart to empty itself of all turmoil! Retrieve the utter tranquility of the mind from which you issued.Although all forms are dynamic,and we all grow and transform,each of us is compelled to return to our root. Our root is quietude."

"The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness."

"The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'"

"Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses."

"Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

"Having given all he had He then is very rich indeed."

"To speak little is natural. Therefore a gale does not blow a whole morning nor does a downpour last a whole day."

"So the unwanting soulsees what's hidden,and the ever-wanting soulsees only what it wants."

"He who has not faith in others shall find no faith in them."

"We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move.We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness insidethat holds whatever we want.We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner spacethat makes it livable.We work with being, but non-being is what we use."

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

"I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures."

"Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength."

"A good traveler leaves no tracks. Good speech lacks fault-finding."

"With those who are kindthe sage is kindWith those who are not kindthe sage is also kindbecause the way of Tao is kindness."

"Free from desire, you realize the mysterycaught in the desire, you see only the manifestations."