← Back to quotes

76

"In life, man is supple and tender. In death, he becomes rigid and stark. Myriad things such as grass and trees are supple and frail in life, And shrivelled and dry in death. Therefore, the rigid and stark are disciples of death, While the supple and weak are disciples of life. Therefore the army that uses strength cannot win.* The tree that stands firm will break.** The strong and large are subordinate;*3* The soft and weak are superior.*4*"

Author

Lao Tzu

All Translations

English

"In life, man is supple and tender. In death, he becomes rigid and stark. Myriad things such as grass and trees are supple and frail in life, And shrivelled and dry in death. Therefore, the rigid and stark are disciples of death, While the supple and weak are disciples of life. Therefore the army that uses strength cannot win.* The tree that stands firm will break.** The strong and large are subordinate;*3* The soft and weak are superior.*4*"

Loading…
Loading the web debug toolbar…
Attempt #