Things exalted then decay. This is going against the Way. What goes against the Way meets an early end.
Those who die without being forgotten get longevity.
The separate parts make no carriage.
There is no greater misfortune than greed.
Tao is beyond words and beyond things. It is not expressed either in word or in silence. Where there is no longer word or silence Tao is apprehended.
The Way is ever nameless.
The Tao is near and people seek it far away.
Seal the openings, shut the doors, and until your last day you will not be exhausted. Widen the openings, interfere, and until your last day you will not be safe.
A good door needs no lock, still it can't be opened.
The sage does not act and therefore does not fail, does not seize and therefore does not lose.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.
Rituals are the end of fidelity and honesty, and the beginning of confusion.
Goodness in words creates trust, goodness in thinking creates depth, goodness in giving creates love.
We create ying and yang, yes and no, plus and minus.
Yielding, like ice about to melt.
Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.
Those who know it do not speak about it. Those who speak about it do not know it.
To have enough of enough is always enough.
The essence of Taoism is really expressed by these few words. Taoism is the way of the child, the way of the fool, the way of someone who doesn't need to be noticed.
Those who are self-righteous are not prominent.