Governing the country through the Way of Tao

In ancient times, those who were good at governing by the Tao did not teach the people to be clever and calculating. Instead, they kept them simple and plain.

The people are hard to govern because they have too much cleverness and scheming. So governing a country with cleverness and scheming is a curse to the country. Governing it without such cleverness is a blessing.

To understand these two differences is the rule of governing. To hold fast to this rule for long is called mysterious virtue.

Mysterious virtue is deep and far-reaching. It returns with all things to their original simplicity, and only then can there be perfect harmony with the natural order.