"How do I know that wanting to live is not a mistake? How do I know that hating death is not like a man who, having left home in his youth, has forgotten the way back?"

"The duck's legs are short, but if we try to lengthen them, the duck will suffer. The crane's legs are long, but if we try to shorten them, the crane will suffer. So we must not amputate what is long, …"

"The perfect man uses his mind like a mirror – going after nothing, welcoming nothing, responding but not storing."

"Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free."

"The true man of Tao lives as a fish lives in water: he is at home in it, but he does not know it. The true man of Tao lives as a bird lives in the air: he is at home in it, but he does not know it."