“The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new.”

“It is through their not being full of themselves that they can afford to seem worn and not appear new and complete.”

“True perfection seems imperfect,yet it is perfectly itself.True fullness seems empty,yet it is fully present.True straightness seems crooked.True wisdom seems foolish.True art seems artless.”

“To be worn out is to be renewed.”

“The flexible are preserved unbroken. The bent become straight. The empty are filled. The exhausted become renewed. The poor are enriched. The rich are confounded. Therefore the sage embraces the one. Because he doesn't display himself, people can see his light. Because he has nothing to prove, people can trust his words. Because he doesn't know who he is, people recognize themselves in him. Because he has no goal in mind, everything he does succeeds. The old saying that the flexible are preserved unbroken is surely right! If you have truely attained wholeness, everything will flock to you.”

“In harmony with the Tao,the sky is clear and spacious,the earth is solid and full,all creatures flourish together,content with the way they are,endlessly repeating themselves,endlessly renewed.when man interferes with the Taothe sky becomes filthy,the earth becomes depleted,the equilibrium crumbles,creatures become extinct.”

“The door and windows are cut out (from the walls) to form an apartment; but it is on the empty space (within), that its use depends.”