Guan Yinzi said: "It is not that Dao cannot be spoken of; what cannot be spoken of is precisely Dao." "It is not that Dao cannot be thought about; what cannot be thought about is precisely Dao." Heavenly things and objects surge in anger, while human affairs proceed in a confused and disorderly manner. They are faint and uncertain as they turn back, and sharp and fierce as they contend. Hastily and hurriedly, they appear to be so but are not truly so. And yet people strive for them, and take a stand on them; they praise them, and they criticize them; they discard them, and yet seek to grasp their essence. To speak of it is like blowing on a shadow; to think about it is like carving into dust. Even the sages create confusion, and ghosts and gods cannot recognize it. Only that which cannot be done, cannot be attained, cannot be measured, and cannot be divided. Therefore it is called Heaven (tian), Destiny (ming), Spirit (shen), or the Profound (xuan); combined, it is called Dao."

Guan Yinzi said: "Nothing exists that is not Heaven, nothing exists that is not Destiny, nothing exists that is not Spirit, and nothing exists that is not the Profound. If things are thus, how could human beings be any different? All people may be said to embody Heaven; all people may be said to possess Spirit; all people can attain the ultimate and penetrate the Profound. To say that one person is Heaven while another is not, is itself not Heaven; to say that one is a Spirit and another is not, is not to be a Spirit; ɵ it is said of one as Destiny and of another as not, but this itself is not Destiny; to say that one embodies the Profound while another does not, is in itself not to embody the Profound. Therefore, those who are good at understanding my Dao can, within a single thing, know Heaven fully, comprehend the Spirit completely, attain Destiny entirely, and penetrate into the Profound. To study it by chasing differences is to pursue distinctions in names while ignoring their shared reality; to attain it through agreement with the same, one forgets the differences and transcends the names."

Guan Yinzi said: "To observe the Dao is like observing water. If one considers merely looking at a pool as insufficient, they go to the river, then to the Yangtze River, and finally to the sea, saying: 'This is where water reaches its fullness.'" Yet they do not realize that my bodily fluids, saliva, drool, and tears are all forms of water."

Guan Yinzi said: "Dao is without people. Sages do not see person Jia as embodying Dao and person Yi as not embodying Dao. Dao is without self. Sages do not see themselves as advancing in Dao or retreating from Dao. Because they do not possess Dao, they are also not devoid of Dao; because they do not attain Dao, they do not lose it either."

Guan Yinzi said: "Those who do not know Dao and recklessly guess by divination are like shooting at a covered bowl: they suppose the high might contain gold or jade, the middle might contain horn or feather, and the low might contain tiles or stones. Is this correct?" Or is it not correct?" Only the one who placed the object knows."

Guan Yinzi said: "One potter can make ten thousand vessels, yet not one of those vessels can create the potter or harm the potter. The One Dao can produce all things, yet no single thing can create Dao or harm Dao."

Guan Yinzi said: "Is Dao vast and formless without knowledge? Is the mind boundless and free from restraint?" Are things ever-changing yet without error? Does lightning escape? Do sands fly?" Sages know: the mind is one, things are one, and Dao is one. The three combine once more into one. They do not use the concept of oneness to restrict non-oneness, nor do they allow non-oneness to harm oneness."

Guan Yinzi said: "Using a basin as a pond and a stone as an island, fish swim around it in circles, unaware that their journey spans tens of thousands of li without end. Why is this so? Because the water has no source and no destination. The Dao of sages: it has no beginning at its root, nor an end at its tip; therefore, in responding to things, it is never exhausted."

Guan Yinzi said: "Do not love Dao. He who loves is like water; do not observe Dao, for the observer is like fire; do not pursue Dao, for the pursuer is like wood; do not speak of Dao, for he who speaks is like metal; do not think about Dao, for the thinker is like earth. Only sages do not depart from their original nature and thus ascend to the great Dao; when the mind has yet to arise, Dao is also but a provisional term."

Guan Yinzi said: "Thick clouds obscure the sky; rivers and lakes grow dark; swimming fish are bewildered. Suddenly they see ripples of light and movement in the water, mistakenly believing it to be a gift from Heaven. They rush toward it, only to fall victim to fishermen's hooks." Those who do not realize their selflessness yet pursue Dao are no different."

Guan Yinzi said: "There are many methods and techniques in the world. Some favor obscurity, others favor clarity; some favor strength, and others favor weakness, reflecting the interplay of yin and yang. To cling to them is to deal with matters; not to cling to them is to follow Dao."

Guan Yinzi said: "Dao can ultimately never be attained. What can be attained is called virtue (de), not Dao; Dao can ultimately never be followed. What can be followed is called conduct (xing), not Dao. Sages use what can be attained and followed to skillfully manage their lives; they rely on what cannot be attained or followed to skillfully face death."

Guan Yinzi said: "After hearing of Dao, those who do something and cling to it become ordinary people; those who practice wu wei (non-action) and hold nothing are thus in harmony with Heaven." Those who act will inevitably fail; those who cling will inevitably lose; Therefore, one who hears of Dao in the morning may be ready to die by evening."

Guan Yinzi said: "When a single emotion is extinguished, one becomes a sage; when a single emotion is good, one becomes a virtuous person; when a single emotion turns evil, one becomes an unworthy man." One whose emotions are extinguished moves from self to non-self; such a state cannot be shown or attained. One who is moved by good and evil emotions moves from non-self to self, yet this too cannot be concealed. To have emotions of good and evil is to possess knowledge; only living beings possess such qualities. One whose emotions are extinguished has no knowledge, yet beneath the vast sky, Dao exists everywhere."

Guan Yinzi said: "Do not think that because sages diligently practice without tiring, one might say Dao is achieved through diligence; do not think that because sages firmly uphold and do not change, one might say Dao can be attained by clinging. Sages diligently act as an arrow is shot; their action follows external conditions, and I do not act of my own accord; sages firmly uphold things like holding an arrow; they hold because of external circumstances, and I do not hold by myself."

Guan Yinzi said: "If one seeks Dao through words and actions, learning and knowledge, endlessly turning from one to another, there will never be a time of attainment. To know words is like hearing the sound of spring water; to know action is like watching birds fly; to know learning is like plucking a shadow; knowledge is like calculating dreams. When even one breath does not remain, Dao will come into harmony."

Guan Yinuser said: "To establish things through action is difficult; to abandon things through Dao is easy. All things in the world are hard to create but easy to destroy."

Guan Yinzi said: "A single spark can burn all things; When the things are gone, where does the fire remain?" In Taoism, a single breath of Dao can extinguish all things; When the things are gone, where is Dao?"

Guan Yinzi said: "Human life in this world. Some live for one day and die, some for ten years and die, others for a hundred years and die. Those who die after one day are like those who attain Dao in a single breath; those who live ten or a hundred years and then die are like those who gradually attain Dao over time. Those yet to die, though they act and display wisdom clearly, can only be called alive, not dead; those who have not attained Dao, though they act and appear wise, are merely engaged in matters, not in Dao."

Guan Yinzi said: "Not knowing that my Dao is without words and action, people seek Dao in what has words and actions, forgetting the teaching that those who know do not speak. Suddenly encountering something strange, they grasp it as Dao, not realizing that by abandoning the source to follow the stream, they will never find the source; to abandon the root for the branch is to never attain the root."

Guan Yinzi said: "Practicing archery, practicing chariot driving, practicing the qin, practicing chess—none of these things can be mastered in a single breath. Only Dao is formless and boundless, hence it may be attained in a single breath."

Guan Yinzi said: "When two archers meet face to face, their skill or clumsiness becomes evident; when two players of weiqi (Go) meet, the outcome—victory or defeat—becomes clear; when two people who practice Dao meet, there is nothing to show." Nothing to show means no skill, no clumsiness, no victory, no defeat."

Guan Yinzi said: "My Dao is like the sea: if one throws in ten thousand catties of gold, it cannot be seen; if one throws in ten thousand dan of stones, they also cannot be seen; even if one throws in ten thousand measures of filth and dirt, it still cannot be seen. It can carry small shrimp and small fish, as well as great kun and large whales. When many waters are gathered into it, it does not consider itself to have more; when the waters are dispersed and divided, it does not feel lacking."

Guan Yinzi said: "My Dao is like being in darkness. One who dwells in brightness cannot see a single thing in the dark, but one who dwells in darkness can discern affairs in the bright world."

Guan Yinzi said: "The power of small men returns to evil; the power of the virtuous man returns to goodness; the power of the sage returns to nothing attained." Only by attaining nothing can one be said to embody Dao."

Guan Yinzi said: "My Dao is like a sword: when used with a blade to cut things, it is sharp; but if one grasps the blade by hand, he will be injured."

Guan Yinzi said: "The 笾 does not ask the 豆; the 豆 does not answer the 笾; the tile does not question the stone, and the stone does not respond to the tile; Dao is also not lost." To ask or to answer, the breath moves back and forth—where then is Dao?"

Guan Yinzi said: "Those who look up to Dao stand on tiptoe; those who follow Dao run swiftly; they all know the matters of Dao, but do not know the way of Dao." Therefore, the sage does not look to Dao with longing nor rely on Dao for abundance; he neither treasures Dao in sages nor sells Dao to fools."