570-490 BCE, Chinese Philosopher, Founder of Daoism
Acceptance
Open yourself to the Tao, then trust your natural responses; and everything will fall into place.Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
Action / Effort
The way of the sage is to act but not to compete.
Balance
Just as you breathe in and breathe out
Sometimes you're ahead and other times behind
Sometimes you're strong and other times weak.
Tao Te Ching , Gia Fu-Feng & Jane English, trs., 1972
Beginning / Endeavour
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
Daode JingAll difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small.
Wisdom for The Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing , © 2004