The Unity of Tao

The highest kind of person hears the Tao and earnestly puts it into practice. The average person hears the Tao and half believes it, half doubts it—sometimes remembering it, sometimes forgetting it. The lowest kind of person hears the Tao and laughs out loud at it. If it were not laughed at, it would not be the Tao. So the old saying goes: The bright Tao seems dim. The Tao that advances seems to retreat. The smooth Tao seems rough. The highest virtue seems like an empty valley. The purest white seems stained. The broadest virtue seems lacking. The firmest virtue seems slack. True simplicity seems changeable. The greatest square has no corners. The greatest vessel is finished last. The greatest sound is barely heard. The greatest image has no shape. The Tao is hidden and has no name. Yet only the Tao is good at helping all things and bringing them to completion.