Dao De Jing #36: Opposition

The Dao De Jing is not only one of the world's literary classics, but also one of the foundational documents of the philosophy of Daoism. A free online version of this classic may be found here.

#36: Opposition

To reduce someone's influence, first expand it;
To reduce someone's force, first increase it;
To overthrow someone, first exalt them;
To take from someone, first give to them.

This is the subtlety by which the weak overcome the strong:
Fish should not leave their depths,
And swords should not leave their scabbards.