Tao Te Ching

by Lao Tzu

Reckless courage leads to death. Cautious courage leads to life. These two things, courage and caution, must be balanced. The right thing at one time is the wrong thing at another. This is why the wise approach everything with both courage and caution. The Tao does not fight, yet it conquers. It makes no demands, yet it receives.

A living being is tender and flexible; a corpse is hard and stiff. It is the same with everything—

Those who are hard and inflexible belong to death’s domain; but the gentle and flexible belong to life.

This is the Tao— it diminishes those who have abundance, and nourishes those who lack. The human way is just the opposite— creditors take from those who lack and lavishes those who already abound!

By it the weak defeat the strong; and the flexible conquer the rigid. Every one knows this is true, but how few put it into practice!

True words are often unpleasant; pleasant words are often untrue. Those who know the truth do not argue about it; those who argue do not know the truth.