Chapter 45: The Virtue (Teh) of Greatness
Tao Teh King (Laotzu's Tao and Wu Wei), trans. Dwight Goddard
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Extreme perfection seems imperfect, its function is not exhausted. Extreme fullness appears empty, its function is not exercised. Extreme straightness appears crooked; great skill, clumsy; great eloquence, stammering. Motion conquers cold, quietude conquers heat. Not greatness but purity and clearness are the world's standard.
Laozi (attributed), Tao Teh King (Laotzu's Tao and Wu Wei), trans. Dwight Goddard (1919). Public domain.