weapons are not auspicious weapons are not a ruler's tools he wields them when he has no choice dispassion is the best
thus he does not beautify them he who beautifies them enjoys killing others he who enjoys killing others achieves no worldly rule
thus we honour the left for joy we honour the right for sorrow the left is where the adjutant stands the commander on the right
which means at a funeral when you kill another honour him with your tears when the battle is won treat it as a wake
the first distinction gives us names after we have names we should know restraint who knows restraint knows no trouble
32
The Tao has never had a name simple and though small no one can command it
if a lord upheld it the world would be his guest
when Heaven joins with Earth they bestow sweet dew no one gives the order it comes down to all
to picture the Tao in the world imagine rivers and the sea
33
Who knows others is perceptive who knows himself is wise
who conquers others is forceful who conquers himself is strong
who knows contentment is wealthy who strives hard succeeds
who doesn't lose his place endures who dies but doesn't perish lives on
34
The Tao drifts it can go left or right
everything lives by its grace but it doesn't speak when its work succeeds it makes no claim it has no desires
shall we call it small
everything turns to it but it wields no control shall we call it great
therefore the sage never acts great thus he can do great things
35
Hold up the Great Image and the world will come and be beyond harm safe serene and at one
fine food and song detain passing guests
when the Tao speaks it's senseless and plain we look and don't see it we listen and don't hear it
36
What you would shorten you should therefore lengthen what you would weaken you should therefore strengthen what you would topple you should therefore raise what you would take you should therefore give
this is called hiding the light the weak conquering the strong
fish can't survive out of the deep as state's greatest tool is not meant to be shown
37
The Tao never does a thing yet there is nothing it doesn't do
if a ruler could uphold it people by themselves would change and changing if their desires stirred he would make them still with simplicity that has no name
stilled by nameless simplicity they would not desire and not desiring be at peace the world would fix itself
38
Higher Virtue is not virtuous thus it possesses virtue Lower Virtue is not without virtue thus it possesses no virtue
Higher Virtue lacks effort and the thought of effort Higher Kindness involves effort but not the thought of effort Higher Justice involves effort and the thought of effort Higher Ritual involves effort but no response until it threatens and compels
when the Way is lost virtue appears when virtue is lost kindness appears when kindness is lost justice appears when justice is lost ritual appears
ritual marks the waning of belief and onset of confusion augury is the flower of the Way and beginning of delusion
thus the great choose thick over thin the fruit over the flower therefore they pick this over that
39
Of things that became one in the past Heaven became one and was clear Earth became one and was still spirits became one and were active
streams became one and were full kings became one and ruled the world
but by implication Heaven would crack if it were always clear Earth would crumble if it were always still spirits would fail
if they were always active streams would dry up if they were always full kings would fall if they were always high and noble
thus the noble is based on the humble the high is founded on the low
thus do kings refer to themselves as orphaned widowed and destitute but this is the basis of humility
counting a carriage as no carriage at all
not wanting to clink like jade they clunk like rocks
40
The Tao moves the other way the Tao works through weakness
the things of this world come from something something comes from nothing
41
When a great person hears of the Way he follows it with devotion when an average person hears of the Way he doesn't know if it's real or not
when a small person hears of the Way he laughs out loud if he didn't laugh it wouldn't be the Way
hence these sayings arose the brightest path seems dark the quickest path seems slow the smoothest path seems rough the highest virtue low the whitest white pitch-black the greatest virtue wanting
the staunchest virtue timid the truest truth uncertain the perfect square lacks corners the perfect tool does nothing the perfect sound is hushed the perfect form is shapeless
the Tao is hidden and has no name but because it's the Tao it knows how to start and how to finish
42
The Tao gives birth to one one gives birth to two two gives birth to three three gives birth to ten thousand things
ten thousand things with yin at their backs and yang in their embrace and breath between for harmony
what the world hates to be orphaned widowed or destitute kings use for their titles
thus some gain by losing others lose by gaining
thus what people teach I teach too tyrants never choose their deaths this becomes my teacher
43
The weakest thing in the world excels the strongest thing in the world what doesn't exist finds room where there is none thus we know doing nothing succeeds
teaching without words succeeding without effort few in the world can equal this
44
Which is more vital fame or health which is more precious health or riches which is more harmful loss or gain
the deeper the love the higher the cost the bigger the treasure the greater the loss
who knows contentment suffers no shame who knows restraint encounters no trouble
45
The greatest thing seems incomplete yet it never wears out the fullest thing seems empty yet it never runs dry the straightest thing seems crooked
the cleverest thing seems clumsy the richest thing seems poor
activity overcomes cold stillness overcomes heat who can be perfectly still is able to govern the world
46
When the Tao prevails courier horses manure fields instead of roads when the Tao fails war-horses are raised on the border
no crime is worse than yielding to desire no wrong is greater than discontent no curse is crueller than getting what you want
the contentment of being content is true contentment indeed
47
Without going out his door he knows the whole world without looking out his window he knows the Way of Heaven the farther people go the less people know
therefore the sage knows without moving names without seeing succeeds without trying
48
Those who seek learning gain every day those who seek the Way lose every day
they lose and they lose until they find nothing to do nothing to do means nothing not dome who rules the world isn't busy
if someone is busy he can't rule the world
49
The sage has no mind of his own his mind is the mind of the people
to the good he is good to the bad he is good until they become good
to the true he is true to the false he is true until they become true
in the world the sage withdraws with others he merges his mind people open their ears and eyes the sage covers them up
50
Appearing means life disappearing means death
thirteen are the followers of life thirteen are the followers of death but people living to live join the land of death's thirteen and why because they live to live
it's said that those who guard life well aren't injured by soldiers in battle or harmed by rhinos or tigers in the wild
for rhinos have nowhere to sink their horns tigers have nowhere to sink their claws and soldiers have nowhere to sink their blades and why because for them there is no land of death
51
The Way begets them Virtue keeps them matter shapes them usage completes them thus do all things honour the Way and glorify Virtue
the honour of the Way the glory of Virtue and not conferred but always so the Way begets and keeps them cultivates and trains them steadies and adjusts them nurtures and protects them
but begets without possessing acts without presuming and cultivates without controlling this is called Dark Virtue
52
The world has a maiden she becomes the world's mother
who knows the mother understands the child who understands the child keeps the mother safe and lives without trouble
who blocks the opening who closes the gate lives without toil
who unblocks the opening who meddles in affairs lives without hope
who sees the small has vision who protects the weak has strength
who uses his light who trusts his vision lives beyond death this is the Hidden Immortal
53
Were I sufficiently wise I would follow the Great Way and only fear going astray
the Great Way is smooth but people love byways
their palaces are spotless their fields are overgrown and their granaries are empty
they wear fine clothes they carry sharp swords they tire of food and drink and possess more than they need this is called robbery and robbery is not the Way
54
What is planted right is not uprooted what is held right is not ripped away future generations worship it forever
cultivated in thee self virtue becomes real cultivated in the family virtue multiplies cultivated in the village virtue increases cultivated in the state virtue prospers cultivated in the world virtue abounds
thus view the self through the self view the family through the family view the village through the village view the state through the state view the world through the world
how do we know what the world is like through this
55
He who contains virtue in abundance resembles a newborn child wasps don't sting him beasts don't claw him birds of prey don't carry him off his bones are weak and his tendons are soft and yet his grip is firm
he hasn't known the union of sexes and yet his penis is stiff so full of essence is he
he cries all day yet ever gets hoarse so full of breath is he who knows how to breath endures who knows how to endure is wise
who lengthens his life tempts luck who breathes with his will is strong
but virility means old age this isn't the Way what isn't the Way ends early
56
Those who know don't talk those who talk don't know
seal the opening close the gate dull the edge untie the tangle soften the light join the dust this is called the Dark Union
it can't be embraced it can't be abandoned it can't be helped it can't be harmed it can't be exalted it can't be debased thus does the world exalt it
57
Use direction to govern a country use indirection to fight a war use inaction to rule the world how do we know this works
the greater the prohibitions the poorer the people the sharper the weapons the darker the realm
the smarter the scheme the stranger the outcome the finer the treasure the thicker the thieves
thus the sage declares I change nothing and the people transform themselves I stay still and the people adjust themselves
I do nothing and the people enrich themselves I want nothing and the people simplify themselves
58
Where government stands aloof the people open up where government steps in the people slip away
happiness rests in misery misery hides in happiness
who knows where they end there is no direction direction turns into indirection good turns into evil the people have been lost for a long long time
thus the sage is an edge that doesn't cut a point that doesn't pierce a line that doesn't extend a light that doesn't blind
59
In governing people and caring for Heaven nothing surpasses economy
economy means planning ahead planning ahead means accumulating virtue accumulating virtue means overcoming all overcoming all means knowing no limit knowing no limit means guarding the realm
guarding the realm's mother means living long
this means deep roots and a solid trunk the Way of long and lasting life
60
Ruling a great state is like cooking a small fish
when you govern the world with the Tao spirits display no powers
Not that they don't have power, But their power will not harm people.
Inasmuch as none of them harms anybody, Therefore virtue belongs to them both.
61
The great state is a watershed the confluence of the world the female of the world through stillness the female conquers the male in order to be still she needs to be lower
the great state that is lower governs the small state the small state that is lower is governed by the great state
some lower themselves to govern some lower themselves to be governed
the great state's only desire is to unite and lead others the small state's only desire is to join and serve others
for both to achieve their desire the greater needs to be lower
62
The Tao is creation's sanctuary treasured by the good it keeps the bad alive
beautiful words might be the price noble deeds might be the gift how can we abandon people who are bad
thus when emperors are enthroned or ministers installed though there be great discs of jade followed by teams of horses they don't rival one who sits and offers up this Way
why the ancients exalted it did they not proclaim who searches thereby finds who errs thereby escapes thus the world exalts it
63
Act without acting work without working taste without tasting
great or small many or few repay each wrong with virtue
plan for the hard while it's easy work on the great while it's small
the hardest task in the world begins easy the greatest goal in the world begins small
therefore the sage never acts great he thus achieves great things
who quickly agrees is seldom trusted who makes it all easy finds it all hard
therefore the sage makes everything hard he thus finds nothing hard
64
It's easy to rule while it's peaceful it's east to plan before it arrive it's easy to break while it's fragile it's easy to disperse while it's small
act before it exists govern before it rebels
as giant tree grows from the tiniest shoot a great tower rises from a basket of dirt a thousand mile journey begins at your feet
