Words of Wisdom

I found the following quote from Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao Te Ching and I thought it fit both my mood and my existential thoughts lately, so I wanted to share it.  Now if I could just remember this at times of stress it would be wonderful!

Chapter 29

   Do you want to improve the world?
I don’t think it can be done.

The world is sacred.
It can’t be improved.
If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it.

There is a time for being ahead,
a time for being behind;
a time for being in motion,
a time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous,
a time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe,
a time for being in danger.

The master sees things as they are,
without trying to control them.
She lets them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle.