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"Nothing in the world is as soft and weak as water And yet in attacking what is hard and strong, There is nothing that can surpass it. This is because there is nothing that can be used in its stead. There is no one in the world that does not know That the soft prevails over the hard And the weak prevails over the strong, And yet none are able to act accordingly. This is the reason that the words of the sages say: Only the person who accepts invective against the state Is to be called its legitimate ruler; Only the person who accepts the misfortunes of the state Is to be called its true king. Appropriate language seems contradictory."