57.
A realm is governed by being straightforward
A battle is governed by surprise
The world is governed by no acts at all (wu-wei)
And how do I know?
This is how I know
The more prohibitions there are
the more unhappy people become
The more weapons you have
the less secure people feel
The more skills people have
the further novelties multiply
The more laws there are
the more thieves there will be
Therefore a sensible man says;
If I keep from meddling with people,
they take care of themselves
If I keep from commanding people,
they behave themselves
If I keep from preaching at people,
they improve themselves
If I have no desires
they return to themselves.
(pu, the uncarved block)
58.
When the government is unobtrusive,
people are simple
When the government is alert,
people are cunning
It is on disaster that good fortune perches
It is beneath good fortune that disaster crouches
Who knows what the future holds?
Is there no honesty?
The straightforward changes again into the crafty
and the good changes again into the monstrous
And your bewilderment lasts for a long time
Therefore the sage does what is right
without causing injury,
is honest without hurting,
is direct but not tactless,
enlightens without dazzling
59.
In ruling the people and in serving heaven,
it is best for a ruler to use restraint
It is because he is using restraint
That he may be said to follow the Way from the start
Following the Way from the start
He may be said to accumulate a double reserve of Virtue
If there is a double reserve of Virtue, then nothing is impossible
If nothing is impossible, no one knows his limit
When no one knows his limit, then he is fit to be a ruler
Having the mother principle of leadership
he can long endure
This is called having deep roots and firm stems
by which one lives a long life
60.
Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish
Handle it as little as possible in accordance with Tao
and the spirits lose their potencies
Or rather, it is not that they lose their potencies,
but that, though they have their potencies,
they do no harm to the people
The sage also does not harm the people
As neither does any harm
goodness flows back and forth like water
