If a man make himself as he teaches others to be, then, being himself well subdued, he may subdue (others); one's own self is indeed difficult to subdue
In loving the people and ruling the state, cannot he proceed without any (purpose of) action? In the opening and shutting of his gates of heaven, cannot he do so as a female bird?...
As a fish taken from his watery home and thrown on dry ground, our thought trembles all over in order to escape the dominion of Mara (the tempter)
Kinsmen, friends, and lovers salute a man who has been long away, and returns safe from afar
No, that deed is well done of which a man does not repent, and the reward of which he receives gladly and cheerfully
The people are difficult to govern because of the (excessive) agency of their superiors (in governing them) It is through this that they are difficult to govern
The skilful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or footsteps; the skilful speaker says nothing that can be found fault with or blamed; the skilful reckoner uses no tallies; th...
A man is not a supporter of the law because he talks much; even if a man has learnt little, but sees the law bodily, he is a supporter of the law, a man who never neglects the law
The great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them; a small state only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other Each gets what it desires, but the great st...
Men, driven on by thirst, run about like a snared hare; held in fetters and bonds, they undergo pain for a long time, again and again
Not to blame, not to strike, to live restrained under the law, to be moderate in eating, to sleep and sit alone, and to dwell on the highest thoughts,--this is the teaching of the...
(It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting; to conduct affairs without (feeling the) trouble of them; to taste without discerning any flavour; to consider what...
Before long, alas! this body will lie on the earth, despised, without understanding, like a useless log
O Maker of the material world, thou Holy One! Which is the first place where the Earth feels most happy? Ahura Mazda answered: "It is the place whereon one of the faithful steps fo...
If a traveller does not meet with one who is his better, or his equal, let him firmly keep to his solitary journey; there is no companionship with a fool
Let the kingdom be governed according to the Tao, and the manes of the departed will not manifest their spiritual energy It is not that those manes have not that spiritual energy,...
It is hard to leave the world (to become a friar), it is hard to enjoy the world; hard is the monastery, painful are the houses; painful it is to dwell with equals (to share everyt...
He who gives himself to vanity, and does not give himself to meditation, forgetting the real aim (of life) and grasping at pleasure, will in time envy him who has exerted himself i...
(Those who) possessed the highest benevolence were (always seeking) to carry it out, and had no need to be doing so (Those who) possessed the highest righteousness were (always see...
Few are there among men who arrive at the other shore (become Arhats); the other people here run up and down the shore
He who possesses the mother of the state may continue long His case is like that (of the plant) of which we say that its roots are deep and its flower stalks firm:--this is the way...
Who uses well his light, Reverting to its (source so) bright, Will from his body ward all blight, And hides the unchanging from men's sight
Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life; let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on
To him who holds in his hands the Great Image (of the invisible Tao), the whole world repairs Men resort to him, and receive no hurt, but (find) rest, peace, and the feeling of eas...
Mean is the scent that comes from Tagara and sandal-wood;--the perfume of those who possess virtue rises up to the gods as the highest
Life is easy to live for a man who is without shame, a crow hero, a mischief-maker, an insulting, bold, and wretched fellow
If, like a shattered metal plate (gong), thou utter not, then thou hast reached Nirvana; contention is not known to thee
Make thyself an island, work hard, be wise! When thy impurities are blown away, and thou art free from guilt, thou wilt enter into the heavenly world of the elect (Ariya)
I do not know whose son it is It might appear to have been before God
That is the safe refuge, that is the best refuge; having gone to that refuge, a man is delivered from all pain