CHINESE ORIGINAL
民不畏威，则大威至。
无狎其所居，无厌其所生。
夫唯不厌，是以不厌。
是以圣人自知不自见，自爱不自贵；故去彼取此。
ENGLISH · JAMES LEGGE, 1891
When the people do not fear what they ought to fear, that which is their great dread will come on them.
Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life; let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on.
It is by avoiding such indulgence that such weariness does not arise.
Therefore the sage knows (these things) of himself, but does not parade (his knowledge); loves, but does not (appear to set a) value on, himself. And thus he puts the latter alternative away and makes choice of the former.
Legge’s translation uses nineteenth-century English. Parentheses are the translator’s; English chapter headings are editorial reading aids. Sources & method ↗
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Leadership
What happens when a leader makes room for others? Read about restraint, trust, and governing with a light hand.
Leadership