The Way that can be told is not the eternal Way. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things and does not compete. It dwells in places that others disdain. That is why it is so near to the Way.
To lead people, walk behind them. The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead. He is detached, thus at one with all.
Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water. Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better. The soft overcomes the hard. The gentle overcomes the rigid.