Chapter 8: Water
The Tao Te Ching: Warnings and Invitations
The best of men is like water;
Water benefits all things
And does not compete with them.
It dwells in (the lowly) places that all disdain,
Wherein it comes near to the Tao.In his dwelling, (the Sage) loves the (lowly) earth;
In his heart, he loves what is profound;
In his relations with others, he loves kindness;
In his words, he loves sincerity;
In government, he loves peace;
In business affairs, he loves ability;
In his actions, he loves choosing the right time.
It is because he does not contend
That he is without reproach.
Water does not hurry and yet nothing escapes it. It moves without ambition, yields without disappearing, settles where nothing else will go. It asks no permission and offers no resistance. Given enough time it shapes mountains, carries life through the driest ground, and wears away every hard thing that stands in its path. Nothing about it announces power. Nothing functions without it.
This is why Laotse chose water. Not as decoration. As the most precise image available for what the Tao actually looks like when it moves through a human life.
