Filling a vessel to the brim invites its spilling;
better to stop before it overflows.
Sharpen a blade to its finest point,
and it will not keep its edge for long.
When halls overflow with gold and jade,
they cannot be guarded.
When wealth and rank give birth to pride,
ruin follows close behind.
When the work is done, step back into obscurity.

This is the Way of heaven.