He who acts defeats his own purpose; He who grasps loses.

~ Lao Tzu ~

Peace is easily maintained;

Trouble is easily overcome before it starts
The brittle is easily shattered;
The small is easily scattered'

Deal with it before it happens.
Set things in order before there is confusion.

A tree as great as a man's embrace springs from a small shoot;
A terrace nine stories high begins with a pile of earth;
A journey of a thousand miles starts under one's feet.

He who acts defeats his own purpose;
He who grasps loses
The sage does not act, and so is not defeated.
He does not grasp and therefore he does not lose.

People usually fail when they are on the verge of success.
So give as much care to the end as to the beginning;
Then there will be no failure.

Therefore the sage seeks freedom from desire.
He does not collect precious things.
He learns not to hold onto ideas.
He brings men back to what they have lost
He helps ten thousand things find their own nature
But refrains from action.

(From Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - Chapter 64)

Image: A tree growing in the rocks at the Rocky River Northern NSW

Images @ Eminpee Fotography