When Dao has been abandoned, mercy and justice take its place. When cleverness and wisdom emerge, so does deceit. Discord in the family leads to talk of familial love, and a country teetering on the edge of collapse is filled with patriots.
-Dao De Jing Chapter 18
The best rulers are carefree and at ease, for they rarely issue orders. Their task accomplished, the people simply say, βWe did it! Thatβs the way it should be.
-Dao De Jing Chapter 17
Empty your mind to the utmost; be as still as you can. I observe all things in the cosmos as they emerge, grow, decay, over and over. All of them ultimately return to the root. That root is called peace. To be at peace is to be revitalized. To be revitalized is the natural condition. To know the natural condition is to truly understand.
-Dao De Jing Chapter 16