Chapter Sixty-Four
Peace is easy to keep
What might happen is easy to prevent
That which is fragile is easy to break
What’s still very small, can be chased away easily
A big tree starts with a small seed
A terrace-yard started with a mound of earth
A thousand-mile journey starts with a single step
One who disturbs the natural order, harms oneself
One who intervenes loses oneself
A wise man abstains far from this
Therefore he won’t hurt himself and so he remains himself
But people break down everything and they call it “progress”
Once started, there is no end to
A wise man strives for what others don’t
And takes to be important what others take to be unimportant
He unlearns what other are still learning
And turns back to a state of mind others have left
Then he knows the way back to the source
But realizes that the people do not want to hear about it
