Quote

“

There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it;--for there is nothing (so effectual) for which it can be changed.

— Laozi

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What does this quotation mean?

From Chapter 78 (James Legge translation) of The Tao Teh King. Read the surrounding argument as well as the excerpt; its historical language and philosophical assumptions shape its meaning.

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Source: The Tao Teh King , Chapter 78 (James Legge translation)

Edition: James Legge translation · Translated by James Legge

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From The Tao Teh King

Excerpt checked against the linked public-domain English edition. Korean rendering and context note by Quotations; not an authorized translation. Historical punctuation is retained; line breaks and editorial footnote markers are normalized.

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