Lao Tzu

“Therefore profit comes from what is there; usefulness from what is not.”

“Heaven and earth are not sentimental. They regard all things as ten thousand straw dogs.”

“The sage is not sentimental. He regards all people as ten thousand straw dogs.”

“The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows. The shape changes but not the form.”

“The more you talk, the more you exhaust yourself.”

“Better to remain silent and be at the center.”

“The valley spirit never dies. It is called the mysterious female.”

“Heaven is everlasting and earth is enduring. They are everlasting and enduring because they do not exist for themselves.”

“The sage puts himself last and finds himself in the foremost place.”

“He treats his body as if it were not his, and his body is preserved.”

“The highest goodness is like water. Water benefits the ten thousand things and does not contend.”

“It dwells in places that all disdain. Therefore it is close to the Way.”

“When you have accomplished your work, withdraw. This is the way of heaven.”

“Can you cleanse your inner vision until you see nothing but the light?”

“Can you love people and lead them without imposing your will?”

“Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub; it is the empty space that makes the wheel useful.”

“Giving birth and nourishing, having without possessing, acting with no expectations — this is the supreme virtue.”

“Those who know are not learned; the learned do not know.”

“He who is free from anxiety, what danger can come to him?”