"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

"The sage puts his person last, and it comes first. He treats his person as an outsider, and it is preserved."

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

"Keep your mouth shut, guard your senses, and you will be free from trouble. Open your mouth, always be busy, and you will be beyond hope."

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."