Without Striving
Truth may not be elegant, and elegance may not be true. The wise live without contention, giving freely and gaining endlessly. The Tao works without harm; the sage leads without competing.
Truthful words are not always beautiful.
Beautiful words are not always true.
Those who know do not argue.
Those who argue do not know.
The wise do not hoard.
The more they give,
the more they have.
The more they serve,
the more they gain.
The Tao cuts sharp—yet never wounds.
The sage acts with quiet strength—
and never competes.
