CHINESE ORIGINAL
其政闷闷，其民淳淳；其政察察，其民缺缺。
祸兮福之所倚，福兮祸之所伏。
孰知其极？
其无正。
正复为奇，善复为妖。
人之迷，其日固久。
是以圣人方而不割，廉而不刿，直而不肆，光而不燿。
ENGLISH · JAMES LEGGE, 1891
58.
The government that seems the most unwise, Oft goodness to the people best supplies; That which is meddling, touching everything, Will work but ill, and disappointment bring.
Misery!--happiness is to be found by its side! Happiness!--misery lurks beneath it! Who knows what either will come to in the end?
Shall we then dispense with correction? The (method of) correction shall by a turn become distortion, and the good in it shall by a turn become evil. The delusion of the people (on this point) has indeed subsisted for a long time.
Therefore the sage is (like) a square which cuts no one (with its angles); (like) a corner which injures no one (with its sharpness). He is straightforward, but allows himself no license; he is bright, but does not dazzle.
READ IN CONTEXT
Leadership
What happens when a leader makes room for others? Read about restraint, trust, and governing with a light hand.
Leadership