Be the chief but never the lord.

It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins.

All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small.

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 origin of Heaven and Earth; the Named is the mother of all things.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'