Tao Te Ching · Ch. 64

其安易持,其未兆易謀。其脆易泮,其微易散。為之於未有,治之於未亂。合抱之木,生於毫末;九層之臺,起於累土;千里之行,始於足下。為者敗之,執者失之。是以聖人無為故無敗,無執故無失。民之從事,常於幾成而敗之。慎終如始,則無敗事。是以聖人欲不欲,不貴難得之貨;學不學,復衆人之所過,以輔萬物之自然而不敢為。

Qí ān yì chí, qí wèi zhào yì móu. Qí cuì yì pàn, qí wēi yì sàn. Wéi zhī yú wèi yǒu, zhì zhī yú wèi luàn. Hé bào zhī mù, shēng yú háo mò; Jiǔ céng zhī tái, qǐ yú lěi tǔ; Qiān lǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zú xià. Wéi zhě bài zhī, zhí zhě shī zhī. Shì yǐ shèng rén wú wéi gù wú bài, wú zhí gù wú shī. Mín zhī cóng shì, cháng yú jǐ chéng ér bài zhī. Shèn zhōng rú shǐ, zé wú bài shì. Shì yǐ shèng rén yù bù yù, bù guì nán dé zhī huò; Xué bù xué, fù zhòng rén zhī suǒ guò, Yǐ fǔ wàn wù zhī zì rán ér bù gǎn wéi.

What is at rest is easy to hold. What has not yet shown signs is easy to plan for. What is brittle is easy to break; what is minute is easy to scatter. Deal with things before they arise; bring order before disorder appears. A tree that fills a man's arms grew from the tiniest shoot; a tower nine stories high began with a heap of earth; a journey of a thousand miles started from beneath one's feet. Those who act on things will ruin them; those who grasp at things will lose them. Therefore the sage does not act, and so does not ruin; does not grasp, and so does not lose. People in their undertakings often fail on the verge of success — be as careful at the end as at the beginning, and you will not fail. Therefore the sage desires not to desire, prizes no goods that are hard to come by; he learns not-to-learn, and turns back to what the multitude has passed by, so as to assist all things in their natural development without daring to interfere.

— Tao Te Ching 64

Source: Wang Bi edition (Chinese) + Hanyu Pinyin transliteration