Collected wisdom for moments of reflection.
"One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star."
"I have conversed with the spirited sun I saw him on Primrose Hill."
"暂时的pause 是为了更好的forward."
"…the aim we should set ourselves is a social aim, the benefit of our fellow all citizens. A man directing all his own impulses to this end will be consistent in all his actions, and therefore the same man throughout"
"No one should seek their own good, but the good of others."
"pain + reflection = progress."
"Everything looks bigger up close. That's why it helps to step back to gain perspective and sometimes defer a decision until some time passes."
"People often mistake complexity of language for complexity of thought, and complexity for superiority, and superiority for truth."
"Know when to stop and avoid danger; And you will long endure."
"The greatest misfortune is not to know contentment. The worst calamity is the desire to acquire. And so those who know the contentment of contentment are always content. "
"The further one goes, the less one knows. This is why sages Know without going abroad, Name without having to see, Perfect through nonaction."
"In the pursuit of learning, one does more each day; In the pursuit of the Way, one does less each day; One does less and less until one does nothing; One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Gaining the world always is accomplished by following no activity. As soon as one actively tries, one will fall short of gaining the world."
"The difficult undertakings in the world all start with what is easy. The great undertakings in the world all begin with what is small. This is why sages never work at great things and are able to achieve greatness."
"Those who easily enter into promises always prove unworthy of trust. Those who often think that things are easy regularly encounter difficulties. And so sages consider things difficult and in the end are without difficulties."
"What is at peace is easy to secure. What has yet to begin is easy to plan for. What is brittle is easy to scatter. What is faint is easy to disperse. Work at things before they come to be; Regulate things before they become disordered. "
"A tree whose girth fills one's embrace sprang from a downy sprout; A terrace nine stories high arose from a layer of dirt; A journey of a thousand leagues began with a single step. Those who use it ruin it. Those who grab hold of it lose it. This is why sages practice nonaction and so do not ruin; They do not lay hold and so do not lose. People often ruin things just when they are on the verge of success. Be as careful at the end as you are the beginning and you will not ruin things. This is why sages desire to be without desires and show no regard for precious goods. They study what is not studied and return to what the multitude pass by. They work to support the myraid creatures in their natural condition and never dare to act."
"In ancient times, those good at practicing the Way did not use it to enlighten the people, but rather to keep them in the dark. The people are hard to govern because they know too much. And so to rule a state with knowledge is to be a detriment to the state. Not to rule a state through knowledge is to be a blessing to the state."
"The rivers and ocean are able to rule over a hundred valleys, because they are good at placing themselves in the lower position. And so they are able to rule over a hundred valleys. This is why if you want to be above the people you must proclaim that you are below them. If you want to lead the people, you must put yourself behind them. This is how sages are able to reside above the people without being considered a burden, How they are able to be out in front of the people without being regarded as a harm. This is why the whole world delights in supporting them and never wearies. Because they do not contend, no one in the world can contend with them. "
"慢就是快，稳就是赢，清醒就是自由。"