Humility of the Tao

A great state should be like the lower reaches of a river—the place where the world gathers, the soft and yielding position of the world. The soft and yielding often overcomes the strong and hard through quietness, because it stays quiet and willingly takes the lower place. So if a great state humbles itself before a small state, it wins the small state over. If a small state humbles itself before a great state, it is accepted by the great state. Thus one wins others by humbling itself, and another is accepted by humbling itself. A great state wants only to embrace and nourish people. A small state wants only to attach itself to and serve the great state. If both can get what they want, then the great state above all should keep itself humble.