"The sage is like a mirror. He does not welcome things, nor does he usher them away. He responds to them but does not store them. Therefore, he can triumph over things and not be injured."

"A monkey trainer tells his monkeys that he will give them three nuts in the morning and four in the evening. The monkeys are outraged. So the trainer changes course. He offers the monkeys four in the …"

"When you are born, you are soft and weak; when you die, you are hard and stiff. When plants are alive, they are soft and tender; when they are dead, they are dry and brittle. Therefore, the soft and w…"

"The purpose of a net is to catch fish. Once the fish are caught, you can forget the net. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. Once the ideas are grasped, you can forget the words."

"Joy, anger, sorrow, delight, forethought, regret, inconstancy, compliance, pride, greed, indulgence, willfulness, flattery, insolence — these are like the musical chords from an empty hollow, or mushr…"