Man, when living, is soft and tender; when dead, he is hard and tough. All animals and plants when living are tender and delicate; when dead they become withered and dry. Therefore it is said: the hard and tough are parts of death; the soft and tender are parts of life.
Interpretation
Life is characterized by softness and tenderness, while death represents hardness and toughness.
This quote by Laozi emphasizes the contrasting nature of life and death, depicting life as a state of softness and tenderness, reminiscent of the vitality found in living beings. Conversely, death is associated with hardness and desiccation, suggesting that the essence of life is marked by fragility and gentleness, while death brings about a stark and unyielding reality.
In practice
During a speech about the transient nature of life, this quote can illustrate the beauty of living.
If you understand others you are smart._x000D_ If you understand yourself you are illuminated._x000D_ If you overcome others you are powerful._x000D_ If you overcome yourself you have strength._x000D_ If you know how to be satisfied you are rich._x000D_ If you can act with vigor, you have a will._x000D_ If you don't lose your objectives you can be long-lasting._x000D_ If you die without loss, you are eternal.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.
In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.
Rule your mind with serenity rather than with force and manipulation.
It were better to have no opinion of God at all than such a one as is unworthy of him; for the one is only belief - the other contempt.
We all have the same problem as human beings. And it's something that we are born with, and we just see it manifest in different ways. And in this situation, it's racial. It's brutality. It's people breaking the law. It's the smoke, but the underlying fire is something that we all have to deal with, and that's our sin.
Whenever you hear anyone talking about a cultural or even about a human problem, you should never forget to inquire who the speaker really is. The more general the problem, the more the person will smuggle his or her own personal psychology into the account he or she gives of it.
Cruelty towards others is always also cruelty towards ourselves.
Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be.
Really I feel less keen about the Army every day. I think the Church would suit me better.
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