“When affirmation and negation came into being, Tao faded. After Tao faded, then came one-sided attachments. ”

“Let your heart be at peace.Watch the turmoil of beingsbut contemplate their return.If you don't realize the source,you stumble in confusion and sorrow.When you realize where you come from,you naturally become tolerant,disinterested, amused,kindhearted as a grandmother,dignified as a king.Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,you can deal with whatever life brings you,And when death comes, you are ready.”

“The time of the autumn floods came and the hundred streams poured into the Yellow River. … Then the Lord of the River was beside himself with Joy, believing that all the beauty in the world belonged to him alone.”

“When men lost their understanding of the Tao, intelligence came along, bringing hypocrisy with it.”

“When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue.”

“The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten the words, so that I can talk to him?”

“Words are not just wind. Words have something to say. But if what they have to say is not fixed, then do they really say something? Or do they say nothing? People suppose that words are different from the peeps of baby birds, but is there any difference, or isn't there? What does the Way rely upon, that we have true and false? What do words rely upon, that we have right and wrong? How can the Way go away and not exist? How can words exist and not be acceptable? When the Way relies on little accomplishments and words reply on vain show, then we have rights and wrongs of the Confucians and the Mo-ists. What one calls right the other calls wrong; what one calls wrong the other calls right. But if we want to right their wrongs and wrong their rights, then the best to use is clarity.”