64a. Care at the Beginning
what lies still is easy to grasp;
what lies far off is easy to anticipate;
what is brittle is easy to shatter;
what is small is easy to disperse.
yet a tree broader than a man can embrace is born of a tiny shoot;
a dam greater than a river can overflow starts with a clod of earth;
a journey of a thousand miles begins at the spot under one’s feet.
therefore deal with things before they happen;
create order before there is confusion.