lest his heart be sullied by contact with the world. The people all fix their eyes and ears upon him. The Sage looks upon all as his children.
I have heard that he who possesses the secret of life, when travelling abroad, will not flee from rhinoceros or tiger; when entering a hostile camp, he will not equip himself with sword or buckler. The rhinoceros finds in him no place to insert its horn; the tiger has nowhere to fasten its claw; the soldier has nowhere to thrust his blade. And why? Because he has no spot where death can enter.
To see small beginnings is clearness of sight. To rest in weakness is strength.
He who knows how to plant, shall not have his plant uprooted; he who knows how to hold a thing, shall not have it taken away. Sons and grandsons will worship at his shrine, which shall endure from generation to generation.
Knowledge in harmony is called constant. Constant knowledge is called wisdom.[1] Increase of life is called felicity. The mind directing the body is called strength.
Be square without being angular. Be honest without being mean. Be upright without being punctilious. Be brilliant without being showy.
Good words shall gain you honour in the market-place, but good deeds shall gain you friends among men.
- ↑ There must always be a due harmony between mind and body, neither of them being allowed to outstrip the other. Under such circumstances, the mental powers will be constant, invariable, always equally ready for use when called upon. And such a mental condition is what Lao Tzŭ here calls "wisdom."
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