Monthly Archives: September 2020

True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true. Wise men don’t need to debate; men who need to debate aren’t wise. Wise men are not scholars, and scholars are not wise. The Master desires no possessions. Since the things she does are for the people, she has more than she needs. The more she gives […]

If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content. They enjoy the labor of their hands and don’t waste time inventing labor-saving machines. Since they dearly love their homes, they aren’t interested in travel. There may be a few wagons and boats, but these don’t go anywhere. There may be an arsenal of […]

Failure is an opportunity. If you blame someone else, there is no end to the blame. Therefore the Master fulfills her own obligations and corrects her own mistakes. She does what she needs to do and demands nothing of others. <- Previous || Next->

Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice. Therefore the Master remains serene in the midst of sorrow. Evil […]

As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow. The top is bent downward; the bottom is bent up. It adjusts excess and deficiency so that there is perfect balance. It takes from what is too much and give to what isn’t enough. Those who try to control, who […]

The living are soft and yielding; the dead are rigid and stiff. Living plants are flexible and tender; the dead are brittle and dry. Those who are stiff and rigid are the disciple of death. Those who are soft and yielding are the disciples of life. The rigid and stiff will be broken. The soft […]

When government’s taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive, people become rebellious. When the government takes everything they have, people act like life is meaningless. Only those who do not cling to their life can save it. <- Previous || Next->

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you aren’t afraid of dying, there is nothing you can’t achieve. Trying to control the future is like trying to take the master carpenter’s place. When you handle the master carpenter’s tools, chances are that you’ll cut […]

The wise use of caution will keep you alive. One is the way to death, and the other is the way to preserve your life. Who can understand the workings of Heaven? The Tao of the universe does not compete, yet wins; does not speak, yet responds; does not command, yet is obeyed; and does […]