What honor can there be without humility?
           What heights can be reached without being low?

The pieces of a chariot are useless
             unless the work in accordance with the whole
A man's life brings nothing
             unless he lives in accordance with the whole universe
Playing one's part
          in accordance with the universe
          is true humility

So whether you're a gem in the royal court
       or a stone on the common path
If you accept your part with humility
       the glory of the universe will be yours

When life begins
            we are tender and weak
When life ends
            we are stiff and rigid
All things, including the grass and trees,
          are soft and pliable in life
          and dry in brittle in death

So the soft and supple
            are the companion of life
While the stiff and unyielding
            are the companions of death

An army that cannot yield
          will be defeated
A tree that cannot bend
          will crack in the wind
Thus by Nature's own decree
           the hard and strong are defeated
           while the soft and gentle are triumphant