When people see beauty, they think, "that's beautiful". Thinking of something as beautiful makes you think other things are ugly. Calling something "good" forces you to call some other things "evil." The ideas "difficult" and "easy" support each other. "Long" and "short" define each other. "High" creates "low" "Tone" creates "noise" "Before" creates "after" "Have" creates "don't have." This is why the Sage acts without effort and teaches without words. New things are created and the Sage just accepts them. Things fade away and the Sage accepts that too. A Sage can have things without feeling they "own" them. The Sage does things without putting an emotional stake into the outcome. The task is accomplished, but the Sage doesn't seek credit or take pride in the accomplishment. Because the Sage is not attached to the accomplishment, the accomplishment lasts forever.
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When you praise worthy people, you make other people envious and quarrelsome. When you value rare things highly, you turn honest people into thieves. If you show people exciting things, you will make them covetous and greedy. The Wise rules by keeping the peoples' hearts empty (of desire) and their bellies full. Making their bones strong and their ambitions weak. Since the people are free of avarice and desire, even the most cunning grifter has no opportunity to corrupt them. By using the "act without action" principle, everything just falls into place.
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Intelligent people know others. Enlightened people know themselves. You can conquer others with power, but it takes true strength to conquer yourself. Ambitious people force their will on others, but content people are already wealthy. Prudent people will abide. People unconquered by the idea of death will live long. People who live according to their means last long.
(Courtesy: Mohana Vilashiny).
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