“Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore benefit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.”

“Thirty spokes share one hub in non-being lies the use of the cart knead clay to make vessels in non-being lies the use of the vessel cut out doors and windows to make a housetherefore form being comes what is usable and from non-being comes what is essential.”

“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.”

“A good traveler has no fixed plansand is not intent upon arriving.A good artist lets his intuitionlead him wherever it wants.A good scientist has freed himself of conceptsand keeps his mind open to what is.Thus the Master is available to all peopleand doesn't reject anyone.He is ready to use all situationsand doesn't waste anything.This is called embodying the light.What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?What is a bad man but a good man's job?If you don't understand this, you will get lost,however intelligent you are.It is the great secret.”

“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery. Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations. These two spring from the same source but differ in name; this appears as darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gate to all mystery.”

“An ocean of ink in a single drop,Trembling at the tip of my brush.Poised above stark white paper,A universe waits for existence.”

“Perfection is the willingness to be imperfect.”