“Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.”
“Do you want to improve the world?I don't think it can be done.The world is sacred.It can't be improved.If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.There is a time for being ahead,a time for being behind;a time for being in motion,a time for being at rest;a time for being vigorous,a time for being exhausted;a time for being safe,a time for being in danger.The Master sees things as they are,without trying to control them.She lets them go their own way,and resides at the center of the circle.”
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
“Stop thinking, and end your problems.What difference between yes and no?What difference between success and failure?Must you value what others value,avoid what others avoid?How ridiculous!Other people are excited,as though they were at a parade.I alone don't care,I alone am expressionless,like an infant before it can smile.Other people have what they need;I alone possess nothing.I alone drift about,like someone without a home.I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty.Other people are bright;I alone am dark.Other people are sharp;I alone am dull.Other people have purpose;I alone don't know.I drift like a wave on the ocean,I blow as aimless as the wind.I am different from ordinary people.I drink from the Great Mother's breasts.”
“When the Master governs, the peopleare hardly aware that he exists.Next best is a leader who is loved.Next, one who is feared.The worst is one who is despised.If you don't trust people,you make them untrustworthy.The Master doesn't talk, he acts.When his work is done,the people say, "Amazing:we did it, all by ourselves!”
“Everything under heaven is a sacred vessel and cannot be controlled. Trying to control leads to ruin. Trying to grasp, we lose. Allow your life to unfold naturally. Know that it too is a vessel of perfection. Just as you breathe in and breathe out, there is a time for being ahead and a time for being behind; a time for being in motion and a time for being at rest; a time for being vigorous and a time for being exhausted; a time for being safe and a time for being in danger.”
“There isa time to liveand a time to diebut never to reject the moment.”