If a great achievement is lacking, it will be of no use to any detriment. If there is a big surplus, it will be of endless use. Great straightness is like bending, great skill is like clumsiness, great debate is like indifference. The restlessness overcomes the cold,
Quiet beats heat. Tranquility is the righteousness of the world.
——Tao Te Ching
This novel and its characters are purely fictitious. Any similarity is purely coincidental and should not be imitated.
