"The highest good is like water. It nourishes all things without trying to."

"If a nation is to be great, it must be like a great river, it must flow freely in every direction."

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

"The great square has no corners. The great vessel is never full. The great sound is inaudible. The great image has no form."

"Abandon sageliness and discard wisdom, and the people will benefit a hundredfold."