To be quite honest, I had higher hopes for the core text of Taoism. Although it speaks of "The Way" in a poetic and frankly very beautiful prose and lyric, it wasn't nearly as moving as the tome by Musashi I reviewed earlier. The wisdom contained in the book is very laconic in a poetic way, but fails to stand up to any kind of scrutiny.
I did find interesting the process of government, in which the Tao is to govern with a fair and light touch, never overstepping one's bounds. I assume the same applies in parenting and business, too - which is why I will most likely get along great with Taoists, but not understand Taoism.
Other than that, it's a lot of "river flows around the stone" type thoughts that, although pretty, pale in comparison to the powerful messages in the Bible, Koran, Kojiki or Viking Sagas. This sounds like a great philosophy to hold in a remote island where there is no external threat, but Taoism is so pacifistic and wishy-washy that any "hard" religion will grind it under heel.
This book is like copper: it conducts very well, is pretty to look at, but is fundamentally weak.
5/10