Subtle Wisdom

If you want to shrink something, 
you must first allow it to expand. 
If you want to get rid of something, 
you must first allow it to flourish. 
If you want to take something, 
you must first allow it to be given. 
This is called the subtle perception 
of the way things are. 

The soft overcomes the hard. 
The slow overcomes the fast. 
Let your workings remain a mystery. 
Just show people the results. 

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)