"The sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in the foremost place; he treats his person as foreign to him, and yet it is preserved."

"The sage knows without traveling, perceives without looking, completes without acting."

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

"The uncarved block, though small, is nowhere in the world inferior. If princes and kings could but hold on to it, all creatures would submit to them."

"The five colors blind the eye. The five notes deafen the ear. The five tastes dull the palate. Racing and hunting madden the mind. Precious goods keep their owners in fetters."