  Dynamics near and far away from thermal equilibrium is studied within the
framework of Langevin equations. A stochasticity-dissipation relation is
proposed to emphasize the equal importance of the stochastic and deterministic
forces in describing the system's evolution and destination. It is a
generalization of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Close to a stationary
state an explicit construction of the potential energy is given through a
gauged singular decomposition. Possible directions to extend the present study
into generic situations are pointed out.
