Chapter 56
IndexGovern the state with rectitude, deploy the military with surprise tactics, and win the world by non-action.
How do I know this is so?
By this: When the world has many taboos, the people become increasingly poor; When people have many sharp weapons, the state grows more confused; When people have many clever skills, strange things increasingly arise; When laws and decrees are increasingly evident, thieves and robbers become more numerous.
Therefore the sage says: I practice non-action, and the people transform themselves; I love tranquility, and the people rectify themselves; I do not interfere, and the people prosper on their own; I am free from desires, and the people return to simplicity by themselves.