Guan Yinzi said: "Do not take small matters lightly; a small crack can sink a ship." "Do not underestimate small things; a tiny insect can poison the body;" "do not look down upon petty people, for petty people are thieves of the state." One who can manage small matters well is then able to accomplish great undertakings; one who can accumulate small things is then able to achieve great things; only by being good to petty people can one then harmonize with the great ones. Heaven has no fixed certainties; humans have no absolute abilities; affairs are not within one's control. Only by detaching from worldly matters and separating from people can I remain true to myself; only what is acceptable should be accepted. If there is no proper attachment, then it can be abandoned; if one should caution, endure and accept; when diligence is required, follow it accordingly."

Guan Yinzi said: "The one who has reached the peak of wisdom knows that wisdom itself is insufficient to fully understand all things; thus, he appears foolish." The one who has reached the extreme of argumentation knows that argument itself is insufficient to explain all things; thus, he remains taciturn. The one who has reached the height of bravery knows that courage alone is insufficient to overcome all things; thus, he appears timid."

Guan Yinzi said: "All things in heaven and earth are not truly mine. Not a single thing belongs to me. Things do not belong to me, yet I cannot help but respond to them; I am not the true self, yet I must nurture myself. Although one responds to things, there is never truly a thing; although one nurtures the self, there has never been a true 'I.' Do not say that external things are separate; only then will you realize your own separation from yourself; do not say the outer form is distinct, and thus recognize the heart as apart." "The Dao is simply one; it cannot be arranged or advanced in sequence."

Guan Yinzi said: "One who scrutinizes the tip of a hair does not see the vastness of heaven and earth; one who examines minor sounds cannot hear the thunder's roar." He who sees the great does not see the small; he who sees what is near cannot see what is far; he who hears the great does not hear the small; he who hears what is near cannot hear what is far. The sage sees nothing, and thus can see everything; he hears nothing, and therefore can hear all things."

Guan Yinzi said: "What the eyes see is limited; one may love gold or jade, which is clinging to a single color as if it were the eye itself. What the ears hear is also limited; one may love bells or drums, which is clinging to a single sound as if it were the ear itself. Only the sage does not covet them, does not reject them, and does not dwell upon them."

Guan Yinzi said: "One who is good at the present can act in accordance with the past; one who is skilled in the end can establish the foundation."

Guan Yinzi said: "A clever person can defeat thieves and capture them; bravery overcomes tigers, and one is able to capture a tiger; only by overcoming oneself can one truly accomplish the self; only by mastering things can one benefit from them; only by forgetting the Dao can one truly possess it."

Guan Yinzi said: "If something is too hard, things will inevitably destroy it; thus, rigidity leads to breaking—the soft overcomes the hard. A sharp knife will inevitably be dulled by things; thus, sharpness leads to being blunted. The phoenix is revered as divine because of its rarity; thus, the sage takes depth as his root; the musk deer escapes capture by leaving behind its scent; therefore, the sage uses restraint as a principle."

Guan Yinzi said: "A bottle with two holes, when filled with water and one hole is closed while it is inverted, will not let the water flow out. This is because if the air does not rise, the water cannot descend. Even a well of a thousand feet in depth can have its water drawn up; this is because if it does not descend, it will not ascend. Therefore, the sage does not precede things, embodying the principle that yield and overcome."

Guan Yinzi said: "A person's mistake, though past, still causes suffering after the loss has occurred; after some time, people secretly discuss it even before the mistake was made. Understanding that knowing others is wisdom; knowing oneself is enlightenment, only by not relying on one's own intelligence and also embracing others' wisdom; only by having no self yet embracing the 'I' of all under heaven, can one practice this throughout life and never err."

Guan Yinzi said: "The customs of ancient and modern times differ; the customs of the east, west, south, and north also differ. Even within a single family or an individual's virtue, there are further differences. How could I cling to one standard and rigidly impose it on future generations? Only by adapting to the customs of each era, acting in accordance with signs before events unfold, abandoning anger and suppressing desires, being impartial toward things and forgiving others, weighing their importance accordingly, can one naturally align with the divine and unknowable, harmonizing with the Dao without fixed methods."

Guan Yinzi said: "There are those who associate through the Dao, those who associate through virtue, and those who associate through affairs. Those who associate through the Dao—like father and son—are beyond distinctions of right or wrong, wise or foolish; thus they follow the Dao. Those who associate through merit and virtue (gong de) already involve judgments of right and wrong, wisdom and folly; therefore, their relationships may unite or separate. Those who associate for the sake of affairs—when they come together, they will eventually part."

Guan Yinzi said: "Do not consider clumsiness and simplicity as the essence of the Dao; one should instead delight in being quick-witted. "Do not regard foolishness and ignorance as the obscurity of the Dao; rather, one should take joy in being light and clear." "Do not consider arrogance or carelessness to be the height of the Dao; instead, one should delight in harmony and unity. "Do not take vagueness as the breadth of the Dao; rather, rejoice in being focused on essentials." "Do not consider gloom and sorrow to be the stillness of the Dao; instead, take joy in happiness and ease. The words of ancient people, when studied excessively, can lead to many drawbacks; they cannot go uncorrected."

Guan Yinzi said: "One should not condemn the world while considering oneself righteous; one should not belittle others to elevate oneself; one must not be careless or neglectful, for the Dao is within oneself; one should not slander others to highlight one's own virtue; one must not regard others as vulgar in order to emphasize one's own talent."

Guan Yinzi said: "What perplexes the wisdom of all under heaven is not found in wisdom itself, but in foolishness; what exhausts the eloquence of all under heaven lies not in argumentation, but in silence."

Guan Yinzi said: "As the Huangdi — The Yellow Emperor teaches, heaven cannot make winter lotuses bloom or spring chrysanthemums wither, so the sage does not go against the seasons; the earth cannot transform Lu oranges into Wen badgers, thus the sage does not defy custom. The sage cannot make hands walk and feet grasp, so the sage follows his own strengths. The sage cannot make fish fly or birds run, thus the sage does not oppose what others are good at." Thus, one can act or rest, remain obscure or become clear; the only thing that cannot be constrained is this very nature, and it is for this reason that it is called the Dao."

Guan Yinzi said: "One who speaks little, knowing that sincere words are not beautiful, will not be envied by others; one who acts little will not have his weaknesses exposed; one with little wisdom is not burdened by others; one who has few abilities will not be used by others."

Guan Yinzi said: "Handle affairs with sincerity, and act with simplicity; treat others with tolerance, and respond in silence." My Dao is boundless."

Guan Yinuser said: "Plan in accordance with affairs, decide according to reason, act through people, and complete it by Heaven. Affairs should take the present as a teacher; principles should take antiquity as a guide; affairs are shared with others, but the Dao is unique to oneself."

Guan Yinzi said: "Gold and jade are hard to part with; earth and stone are easily abandoned. A scholar studying the Dao, upon encountering subtle words or wondrous actions, must be cautious not to cling to them; these are things that can be practiced but should not be grasped onto. If one clings to them, it becomes a sickness of the heart and mind, incurable by any medicine."

Guan Yinzi said: "A person who does not understand urgent matters, yet engages in many tasks, unrelated affairs, or strange pursuits will inevitably face hardship and misfortune. They do not realize that the Dao is everywhere present; one cannot abandon this for something else."

Guan Yinzi said: "The principles of the world—abandoning closeness for distance, forsaking roots for branches, leaving virtue for foolishness, and discarding what is near for what is far—are only temporary. Prolonged adherence to such ways will bring harm."

Guan Yinzi said: "In the past, those who discussed the Dao spoke of it as still and quiet, or profound and deep, or clear and pure, or empty and boundless, or obscure and dark. Be cautious not to feel fear or retreat upon encountering these descriptions. The ultimate principle of the world cannot be fully captured by words or thoughts. If one knows that it is beyond words and thoughts, and attains the subtle meaning and profound intent beyond them, then one truly grasps my teaching."

Guan Yinzi said: "The sage speaks in great words like gold and jade, but in small matters, even the words for tangerine twigs or motherwort are used. When applied appropriately, even tangerine twigs and motherwort can bring life; when misapplied, even gold and jade can lead to death."

Guan Yinzi said: "When people speak of a certain matter, one may say it is beneficial, another says it is harmful, a third says it might be either beneficial or harmful, and a fourth says it could be both beneficial and harmful. Certainly, they must adhere to one of these views. But those who speak about the Dao do not take any such fixed position."

Guan Yinzi said: "Matters exist, and words about matters have their principles. These principles do not distinguish between host and guest; they are neither useful nor useless, but rather mutually present and interdependent." The Dao has no fixed place, and words about the Dao have no fixed principle. Knowing that words lack a fixed principle means that every word is the Dao. Not knowing that words have no fixed principle, even if one clings to the highest truths, it becomes an obstruction and a veil."

Guan Yinzi said: "It is easy not to believe in fools, but difficult not to believe in the virtuous; it is easy not to believe in the virtuous, but difficult not to believe in sages; it is easy not to trust one sage, but hard not to trust a thousand sages. One who does not believe in a thousand sages sees neither others externally, nor oneself internally; perceives no Dao above, and recognizes no matters below."

Guan Yinzi said: "The words of the sage are obscure, so as to make people deaf; the words of the sage are dark and profound, so as to make people blind; the words of the sage sink deeply, so as to render people mute. Only when deaf does one not hear sound; only when blind does one not see color; only when mute does one remain silent. One who does not hear sound does not hear the Dao, does not hear matters, and does not hear oneself; one who does not see color does not see the Dao, does not see matters, and does not see oneself; one who remains silent does not speak of the Dao, does not speak of matters, and does not speak of oneself."

Guan Yinzi said: "People only know that within false gains there are true losses, but they do not realize that even in true gains there may be true losses; they only know that among falsehoods there is truth, yet they fail to see that within what seems truly right there can also be true error."

Guan Yinzi said: "Speaking of the Dao is like speaking about a dream, employing Metaphorical Language. When one speaks of dreams, they say: 'such and such gold and jade, such and such vessels, such and such birds and beasts.' The speaker can describe them but cannot take or give them; the listener can hear the words, but cannot receive and obtain what is described. Only those who listen well do not cling to or argue over such things."

Guan Yinzi said: "Make your Dao round, make your virtue square, keep your conduct level, and make your affairs sharp."