The Way of Life

A man is born gentle and weak
At his death he is hard and stiff.
Green plants are tender and filled with sap.
At their death they are withered and dry.
Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding the disciple of life.
Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle.
A tree that is unbendable is easily broken.
The hard and strong will fall.
The soft and week will overcome.

- Lao-Tzu