Chapter 36 - The Gentle Outlast The Strong

All that is bound, cannot be caught.
All that is frail, cannot further wither.
All that is futile, cannot become obsolete.
In order to take, it first has to be given.
This seems both obscure and clear,
The gentle outlast the strong.
Just as the fish cannot be out of water,
The power of governance does not come from wielded power.

将欲歙之，必固张之；将欲弱之，必固强之；将欲废之，必固兴之；将欲取之，必固与之。是谓微明，柔弱胜刚强。鱼不可脱于渊，国之利器不可以示人。