When people are born they are gentle and soft.
At death they are hard and stiff.
When plants are alive they are soft and delicate.
When they die, they wither and dry up.
Therefore the hard and still are followers of death.
The gentle and soft are followers of life.

Thus, if you are aggressive and stiff, you won’t win.
When a tree is hard enough, it is cut.
Therefore the hard and big are lesser.
The gentle and soft are greater.

Taoism emphasizes non-dualistic thinking and the interconnectedness of all life.