78 - PARADOXES

Nothing in the world

is as soft, as weak, as water;

nothing else can wear away

the hard, the strong,

and remain unaltered.

Soft overcomes hard,

weak overcomes strong.

Everybody knows it,

nobody uses the knowledge.

So the wise say:

By bearing common defilements

you become a sacrificer at the altar of earth;

by bearing common evils

you become a lord of the world.

Right words sound wrong.