Laozi

"To yield is to be preserved whole. To bend is to be straightened."

"Do you have the patience to wait till the mud settles and the water is clear?"

"The Master leads by emptying people's minds and filling their cores."

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true strength."

"The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath your feet."

"When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

"Truthfulness has no form; it cannot be drawn or described."

"The rigid tree breaks in the storm; the flexible one bends and survives."

"In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired."

"The Master never expects results; therefore he is never disappointed."

"All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power."

"To understand the limitation of things, desire them."

"The usefulness of a cup is its emptiness."

"Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires."

"Those who flow as life flows know they need nothing."

"The Master gives himself up to whatever the moment brings."

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."

"Rushing toward goals is a sublimated death wish."

"Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small."

"By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go."

"If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place."

"The Master is aware of the world, but does not shape his life by it."

"The world has a beginning we call the Mother. Knowing the Mother, you know the child."

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare yourself to others, everybody will respect you."

"Governing a large country is like frying a small fish. You spoil it with too much poking."

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

"The Master observes the world but trusts his inner vision."

"When the court is arrayed in splendor, the fields are full of weeds, and the granaries are bare."

"Pursue the practice of Tao, and the gain in Tao will be daily."

"Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and becomes clear?"