Of those who wish to take hold of all-under-heaven and act upon it, I have seen that they do not succeed. Now, All-under-heaven is a sacred vessel, Not something that can be acted upon; Who acts upon it will be defeated, Who grasps it will lose it. Of creatures, some march forward, others follow behind; some are shiveringly silent, others are all puffed up; some are strong, others are meek; some pile up, others collapse. For these reasons, The sage rejects extremes, rejects excess, rejects extravagance.