"A truly enlightened ruler uses the law to select men for him; he does not choose them himself. He uses the law to weigh their merits; he does not attempt to judge them for himself."

"No state is forever strong or forever weak. If those who uphold the law are strong, the state will be strong; if they are weak, the state will be weak."

"The Law(道, Way) is Huge and Shapeless, its Moral extends everywhere."

"When all within the four seas have been put in their proper places, [the sage] sits in darkness to observe the light. When those to his left and right have taken their places, he opens the gate to face the world. He changes nothing, alters nothing, but acts with the two handles of reward and punishment, acts and never ceases: this is what is called walking the path of principle."