“Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones.”

“Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy (the craving of) the belly, and not the (insatiable longing of the) eyes.”

“Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing (of humility), and manifests it to all the world.”

“Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.”

“The flexible are preserved unbroken. The bent become straight. The empty are filled. The exhausted become renewed. The poor are enriched. The rich are confounded. Therefore the sage embraces the one. Because he doesn't display himself, people can see his light. Because he has nothing to prove, people can trust his words. Because he doesn't know who he is, people recognize themselves in him. Because he has no goal in mind, everything he does succeeds. The old saying that the flexible are preserved unbroken is surely right! If you have truely attained wholeness, everything will flock to you.”

“Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him, and yet that person is preserved.”

“The sage has in the world an appearance of indecision, and keeps his mind in a state of indifference to all.”