Laozi

Great acts are made up of small deeds.

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

The greatest good is like water. Water benefits all things and does not contend.

He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.

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

The gentlest thing in the world can ride through the hardest thing in the world.

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.

Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.

The sage is like water, which flows to the lowest places and yet is the strongest.

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.

The superior man, when he hears of the Tao, endeavors to observe it.

He who is attached to things will suffer much.

The Tao is always at ease. It is still, yet it moves the world.

To lead people, walk behind them.

The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.

He who talks much is soon exhausted.

The universe is a sacred vase. It should not be tampered with.

The sage is always without ambition.

The five colors blind the eye. The five notes deafen the ear. The five tastes dull the palate.