Governing with stillness

Correctness is the Way's constant aspect; the exceptional is its changing aspect; absence of affairs is its genuineness. The state is settled through correctness, troops win through exceptional methods. The genuineness of the Way admits no private imposition. Follow things' spontaneity and the world is governed. People are not difficult to gather: love them and they become close, benefit them and they come, inflict what they hate and they scatter. Now, without any heart of love or benefit, numerous taboo prohibitions send them scattering to the four directions: thus they become poorer. Those with mechanical devices necessarily have mechanical affairs; those with mechanical affairs necessarily have a calculating heart. When calculation arises, pure whiteness is incomplete, and some deceive those above through improper ways. Relying on clever superiority makes people pursue branches, while strange clothing and unusual instruments emerge to disorder customs. Scrutiny carried too far necessarily meets an unworthy heart in response. Heaven is clear through nonaction; earth peaceful through nonaction. When their two nonactions join, all things transform. The sage is simply heaven and earth. Thus the people improve daily without knowing who causes it. When a water mirror meets forms, it employs no clever contrivance, yet their squareness, roundness, crookedness, or straightness cannot escape. Why should it await level, line, compass, and square before correctness appears? The world fundamentally has no affairs: mediocre people disturb it. Without anything to disturb them, people enrich themselves. Do not elevate worthies and people do not compete; do not value hard-to-obtain goods and people do not steal. Share desirelessness, and people's nature is attained.