The man who I call “Brother” is not my brother.
The man who I call “Father” is not my father.
The man who I call “Son” is not my son.

Families are many things to many people.
Relationships change but the names stay the same.

It’s a good thing to have Fathers, Brothers, and Sons.

Forty-Two

The Tao begot one.
One begot two.
Two begot three.
And three begot the ten thousand things.

The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang.
They achieve harmony by combining these forces.
Men hate to be “orphaned,” “widowed,” or “worthless,”
But this is how kings and lords describe themselves.

For one gains by losing
And loses by gaining.

What others teach, I also teach; that is:
“A violent man will die a violent death!”
This will be the essence of my teaching.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu
Translation by Ray Burgess