Chapter 4: Tao, Without Origin
Tao Teh King (Laotzu's Tao and Wu Wei), trans. Dwight Goddard
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The Tao appears to be emptiness but it is never exhausted. Oh, it is profound! It appears to have preceded everything. It dulls its own sharpness, unravels its own fetters, softens its own brightness, identifies itself with its own dust. Oh, it is tranquil! It appears infinite; I do not know from what it proceeds. It even appears to be antecedent to the Lord.
Laozi (attributed), Tao Teh King (Laotzu's Tao and Wu Wei), trans. Dwight Goddard (1919). Public domain.