"Do not exalt the talented, so that people will not be contentious. Do not value rare treasures, so that people will not steal. Do not display what is desirable, so that people will not be confused."

"The sage is always without ambition."

"The sage attends to the belly, and not to what he sees."

"Govern a state by justice, wage war by surprise, and take the world by doing nothing."

"He who is without desire sees the mystery. He who is with desire sees only the manifestations."