Laozi — "The best way to carve is not to split."

"Silence is a source of great strength."

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

"The best of men is like water. Water benefits all things and does not compete with them. It dwells in lowly places that all disdain. This is why it is so near to the Tao."

"When the government is lazy and careless, the people are unspoiled; when the government is efficient and smart, the people are discontented."

"When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad."