| How did the great rivers and seas become the kings of the ravines? By being experts at keeping low. Therefore to be above the people you have to speak as though you're lower than the people in some ways. So to be ahead of the people, you have to follow them in your own person. To be foremost or guide well, walk behind. The wise man keeps himself on top, and the people hardly feels his weight or get crushed by it in time. He guides in this way, and the people don't harm him the least. He can even walk in front [as an example], and people don't wish him harm. [Let's hope that.] In this dynamic [guru] way everything under heaven will be glad to be pushed by him and will not find his guidance irksome. Then the people of the world are glad, the world rejoices and praises him without getting tired of it, in order to uphold him forever. He accomplishes his aims by overt non-striving. Because he doesn't compete in the open, no one can compete well with him. |
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