75.
When taxes are too high, people go hungry. When the government is too intrusive people lose their spirit. Act for the peoples benefit. Trust
them. Leave them alone.
76.
Men are born soft and supple. Dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant. Dead they are brittle and die. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.
77.
As it acts in the world, the Tao is life the bending bow. The top is bent downward, the bottom is bent up. It adjusts excess and deficiencies, so there is perfect balance. It takes from what is too much and gives to what isn't enough. Those who try to control, who use force to protect their power go against the direction of the Tao. They take from those who don't have enough and give go those who have too much. The Master can keep giving because there is no end to her wealth. She acts without expectation. Succeeds without taking credit and doesn't thing she is better than anyone else.
78.
Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. The hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard. The gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true but few can put it into practice. Therefore the Master remains serene in the midst of sorrow. Evil cannot enter his heart. Because he has given up helping. He is the peoples greatest help. True words seem paradoxical.
79.
Failure is an opportunity. If you blame someone else there is no end to the blame. Therefore the Master fulfills her own obligations and corrects her own mistakes. She does what she needs to do and demands nothing from others.
80.
If a country is governed wisely, its inhabitants will be content. They enjoy the labor of their hands and don't waste time inventing labor saving machines. Since they dearly love thier homes they aren't interested in travel. There may be a few wagons and boats but these go no where. There may be an arsenal of weapons but nobody ever uses them. People enjoy their food, take pleasure in being with their families, spend weekends working in the their gardens. Delight in the doing of their neighborhood. Even though the next country is so close where people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking. They are content to die of old age without even having goneto see it.
81.
True words aren't eloquent. Eloquent words aren't true. Wise men don't need to prove their point. Men who need to prove their point are not wise. The Master has not possessions. The more he does for others the happier he is. The more he gives to others the happier he is. The Tao nourishes by not forcing. By not dominating, the Master leads.
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