| The student of knowledge goes into learning a little day by day; The student of dao reduces his assets by dwindling or losing a bit each day. Learning consists in adding daily to one's stock, and the practice of dao consists in loose dwindling day by day. It could be subtracting till one has reached inactivity. By steady reductions [of certain sorts] you reach certain sorts of laissez-faire. So decrease and further decrease until you reach the point of taking no action. [This is clowning.] By artful inactivity everything [bad] can be set in motion. He who conquers the [inside] domain does so [mostly] by doing nothing. Those who once won the adherence of all who live here, did so by not interfering much. Had they interfered, they would never have won this adherence. One who likes to do, may not be able to rule a kingdom [inside or outside]. |
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