Guan Yinzi said: "The sage ruler governing the world does not consider himself wise or foolish; therefore, he recognizes others as wise because they are wise, and considers others as foolish because they are foolish;" He does not consider himself right or wrong; therefore, he deems things right because they are right, and deems them wrong because they are wrong. Knowing the great similarities between ancient and modern times, therefore sometimes he follows antiquity first, or sometimes follows the present first; Understanding the fundamental unity of internal and external matters, therefore he may prioritize the inner aspect first or the outer aspect first. All things in the world should not be allowed to burden him; thus, humility is his foundation; All things in the world must not distract or divert him outwardly; therefore, he contains them with emptiness; All things in the world should never be allowed to become difficult for him; thus, he deals with them through ease; All things in the world must never be allowed to obstruct him; therefore, he transforms them by means of flexibility. By this principle, one can govern the world and thus establish rites; By this harmony, one can pacify the world and thereby create music; By this impartiality, one can manage the affairs of the world and thus administer finances; By this all-encompassing approach, one can encompass the world and thereby repel insults. By this adaptability to circumstances, one can govern the people of the world and thus enact laws; By this perspective, one can observe the world and thereby create tools. The sage does not govern the world by his own will alone, but governs the world through the people of the world. The people of the world ascribe merit to the sage, while the sage entrusts his achievements back to the people of the world. Therefore, when Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang governed the world, all the people said it was natural."

Guan Yinzi said: "Heaven covers nothing without encompassing; there is birth and death, yet Heaven has no love or hatred. The sun shines on all equally; there are beautiful and ugly things, yet the sun shows no favoritism."

Guan Yinzi said: "The way of the sage is determined by Heaven's mandate; it is not something the sage can choose for himself. The virtue of the sage corresponds to the time, and is not a virtue that the sage can possess by his own will. The affairs of the sage are carried out through people; they are not matters the sage can manage on his own. Therefore, the sage does not claim to possess the Way, virtue, or affairs."

Guan Yinzi said: "The sage knows that there is no self in 'I,' so he unites with others through benevolence; knowing that affairs are not governed by the self, therefore he governs them according to righteousness; Knowing that the mind has no self, therefore he disciplines it through rites; Knowing that knowledge is not of the self, therefore he illuminates it with wisdom. Understanding that words are not from the self, thus he upholds them through faithfulness."

Guan Yinzi said: "The way of the sage may regard benevolence as benevolence, or righteousness as benevolence; it may also regard rites, wisdom, and faithfulness as benevolence. Benevolence, righteousness, rites, wisdom, and faith—each encompasses all five; the sage unifies them without being bound by any one, so the world cannot name or define him."

Guan Yinzi said: "Do not judge a sage by his actions; the Way leaves no trace; do not judge a sage by words, for the Way is without speech; do not judge a sage by ability, for the Way acts without doing; do not judge a sage by appearance, for the Way has no form."

Guan Yinzi said: "Though one's conduct may be most excellent, it cannot escape being high or low; though words may be perfectly just, they still fall into right and wrong; though ability may reach the divine, it cannot avoid being skillful or clumsy; though appearance may be most extraordinary, it still falls into beauty and ugliness. The sage uses these to demonstrate to the world. When the people of the world understand this, they then recognize the sage."

Guan Yinzi said: "The sage takes the bee as a teacher and establishes rulers and subjects; takes the spider as a model to establish nets and traps; takes the burrowing mouse as an example to institute rites; takes the fighting ants as a model and establishes military forces. The common people take the virtuous as their teacher, the virtuous take the sage as their teacher, and the sage takes all things in the world as his teacher. Only the sage unifies with all things, which is why he has no self."

Guan Yinzi said: "The sage speaks of the Way. He observes that heaven, earth, human beings, and things are all part of my Way: he initiates and responds to them, begins and completes them, transforms them from green to yellow, nurtures and protects them; he does not love the Way for its own sake, nor does he discard any thing; he does not revere the gentleman out of respect alone, nor despise the petty person. The virtuous speak of things. Things differ from one another; day by day he removes them, and day by day he gives them; shortening some, lengthening others, straightening this one, making that square—this is called the transformation of things. They do not realize that the sage considers mixing and separating as trivial, distinguishing and arranging them separately—this is for the sake of people, but he does not take this as his own."

Guan Yinzi said: "The sage and the common people are the same in food, drink, clothing, and garments; they share the same houses, boats, and carriages; they experience wealth, honor, poverty, and low status equally. The common people are always the same as the sage, and the sage is always the same as the common people. Those who look up to his height, boast of his greatness—could they be right? Or could they not be right?"

Guan Yinzi said: "A fish that wishes to differ from other fish, if it leaves the water and jumps onto the shore will die; a tiger wishing to be different from other tigers, if it abandons the mountain and enters the city will be captured. The sage is no different from ordinary people; only things cannot restrain him."

Guan Yinzi said: "The Way does not create. He who responds to the world with the Way—this is an action, and thus it is not the Way itself. The Way has no fixed form. He who uses the Way to house things—this is a thing, and thus it is not truly the Way." The sage cannot finally produce or show the Way to others."

Guan Yinzi said: "Like a bell sounding like a bell, like a drum sounding like a drum; the words of the sage are just like this. Like a cart moving as a cart should, like a boat floating as a boat should; the conduct of the sage is likewise so." Only because it cannot be named can it withdraw all words from the world; only because it is unknowable can it surpass the wisdom of the entire world."

Guan Yinzi said: "The centipede eats snakes, snakes eat toads, and toads eat centipedes—they feed on one another. The words of the sage are like this: he speaks of the drawbacks of existence and non-existence, then speaks of the drawback of neither being nor not being, and finally speaks of removing the drawback of neither being nor non-being; his words are like pulling a saw back and forth. Only those who truly understand the sage leave not a single word behind."

Guan Yinzi said: "Like a dragon, like a jiao. Like a snake, like a turtle, like a fish, like an oyster—the dragon can become all of them. The jiao is merely a jiao; it cannot become a dragon, nor can it become a snake, a turtle, a fish, or an oyster. The sage is like the dragon; the virtuous are like the jiao."

Guan Yinzi said: "Within oneself, there is no fixed dwelling; forms and things manifest by themselves; his movement is like water, his stillness like a mirror, and his response like an echo. He is indistinct as if he were gone, silent as if perfectly clear. Those who are the same with it harmonize; those who grasp it lose it. He has never led others, but always follows them."

Guan Yinzi said: "Vast and boundless! Roaming in the primordial beginning!" At times it is gold, at times it is jade; at times it is dung, at times it is earth. At times he soars above things, at times he follows them; at times he stands as a mountain among things, at times he sinks into the abyss of things. Steadfast yet flexible! Mad or foolish!"

Guan Yinzi said: "A person skilled in playing the qin, if he has a sorrowful heart, will produce a mournful sound; if his mind is contemplative, then the sound becomes slow and measured; if he harbors resentment, the sound will be lingering and sorrowful; if his heart is filled with longing, then the sound will be soft and delicate. Therefore, what causes sorrow, contemplation, resentment, or yearning is not the hands, nor bamboo, silk, or paulownia wood; it arises from the mind and corresponds to the hand; what is achieved by the hands must correspond with external objects. Those who possess the Way will all be in harmony with it."

Guan Yinzi said: "The sage, by having words, actions, and thoughts, is thus the same as others; he who has never spoken, never acted, never thought—this is what makes him different from others."

Guan Yinzi said: "The clearer one's mind becomes about profit and harm, the less harmonious will be relations with family members; the more clearly one distinguishes between the wise and the foolish, the fewer friends one will have; the clearer one's judgment of right and wrong becomes, the less likely matters are to succeed; the more clearly one discerns beauty and ugliness, the fewer things will be in harmony with one's desires; Therefore, the sage blends them together."

Guan Yinzi said: "Those in the world who are foolish and clumsy wrongly cite the supposed foolishness and clumsiness of sages as an excuse, not realizing that sages at times appear foolish and at times wise, at times clumsy and at times skillful."

Guan Yinzi said: "Those who take a sage as their teacher are the virtuous; those who take the virtuous as their teachers become sages." Those who take a sage to be their teacher merely follow appearances and forget the Way. Those who take the virtuous to be their teachers turn away from appearances and unite with the Way."

Guan Yinzi said: "Virtuous people strive upward but do not see downward; common people descend and do not look upward. The sage understands both high and low, acting only in accordance with what is appropriate; How could it be said that sages are separate from the virtuous or common people?"

Guan Yinzi said: "The principle of the world is this: the husband leads, and the wife follows; the male runs ahead, while the female follows behind; the male calls out, and the female responds. Therefore, the sage regulates words and actions, while the virtuous person is bound by them."

Guan Yinzi said: "Though a sage's Way may change like that of a tiger, his actions proceed slowly like those of a tortoise; though the Way may be as tangled as silk threads, his affairs are arranged as orderly as chess pieces."

Guan Yinzi said: "What is called the Way of a sage—why does it appear so solitary, why so thorough, why so grand and open, why so dignified and orderly." Only because the sage can pair with all things yet no single thing can truly match him, is he able to hold all things in high esteem."

Guan Yinzi said: "The rolling and spreading of clouds, the flying and gliding of birds—all take place in empty space; this is why transformations are endless. Thus it is with the Way of the sage."