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Greatness is ordinary； much is little
Repay ill will with virtue
Plan for the complicated while it is simple
Develop the great while it is small
The difficult tasks under heaven
Always begin in simplicity
The greatest tasks under heaven
Always begin as minutiae
This is why wise ones never assume greatness
And so can achieve such greatness
Those who lightly promise will surely be less trusted
Much ease is surely much difficulty
This is why wise ones look for things to get complicated
And so in the end have no complications at all
64
What is secure is easy to hold
What has yet to begin is easy to plan for
What is thin is easy to break up
What is minute is easy to scatter
Attend to things before they come to be
Arrange things before they entangle
A tree which fills the joined embrace
Has grown from a slender shoot
A tower which reaches nine stories
Begins as a basket of earth
A journey of a thousand li
Begins from beneath the feet
Those who interfere spoil things
Those who grab lose things
This is why wise ones do not interfere and so do not spoil
Do not grab and so do not lose
People in their pursuits & affairs
（are） ever on the verge of achieving and still ruin things
Take care at the end as well as at the beginning
And then there will be no ruined affairs
This is why wise ones desire to have no desires
Do not prize goods which are hard to obtain
Learn to unlearn
And return to what everyone else has passed by
Thus helping the myriad beings to realize themselves
While not presuming to interfere
65
Those ancients skilled at practicing the way
Did not try to enlighten the people
（But） would have tried to simplify them
The difficulties of governing the people
Are due to their great cleverness
And so to use cleverness in governing a realm
Is an injury to the realm
To avoid using cleverness in governing a realm
Is a favor to the realm
Those who comprehend both of these
Also examine for patterns
Always to know to look for patterns
May be called a mystic power
A mystic power so deep & so far reaching
（As） to help creation to turn itself around
Natural succession then reaches perfect harmony
66
What is the reason why the rivers and ocean
can serve as sovereign to the hundred valleys？
Because they are so well below them
In this way （they） can act as sovereign
to the hundred valleys
Applying this； in desiring to rise above the people；
Always in expression be subordinate to them
In desiring to go ahead of the people
Always regard yourself as behind them
This is how wise ones remain above
And yet the people are not burdened
Remain ahead
And yet the people are not obstructed
So it is that （all） under heaven readily come forward
and never weary
Because such as these will never contend
So none under heaven can contend against them
67
Everyone in the world admits our way is great
（And） resembles no likeness
It is insofar as it is great
That it resembles no likeness
Had it a likeness
Surely after so long
It might have diminished a little
Here I have three treasures
Take and keep them safe：
The first； call compassion
The second； call economy
The third； call never presuming to act as the world抯 leader
Compassion confers a capacity for courage
Economy confers a capacity for breadth
Never presuming to act as the world抯 leader
confers a capacity to develop enduring talents
To right away set aside compassion
in order to be more courageous
To set aside economy in order to be more expansive
To set aside following in order to be more advanced
Is truly deadly
Now compassion used in combat means triumph
Used in defense means security
Those whom heaven would redeem
With compassion it protects them
68
The student skilled at action is not aggressive
The one skilled at combat is not angry
The one at besting opponents does not participate
The one skilled at employing others behaves as their subordinate
This may be styled the 搗irtue of not contending？br》 It may be styled 揳pplying another抯 power？br》 It may be styled 搒iding with heaven；？br》 The consummation of antiquity
69
Military strategists have a saying：
揑 will not dare to act as host；
But rather； act as guest；
Will not presume to advance an inch；
But rather； retreat a foot？br》 This may be called 搕o move without movement；
To roll up sleeves without baring arms；
To depose without a fight
To capture without force？br》 There is no danger greater than underestimating a foe
Underestimate a foe will risk losing what we value
And so when opposing forces meet each other
The one sympathetic will truly succeed
70
My words are very easy to understand
Very easy to practice
（But） nobody in the world can understand
Nobody can practice
Expressions presume a lineage
Endeavors presume a master
Insofar as these are unknown
So it is that we are not known
Those who know me are few
Accordingly I am valued
This is why wise ones wear common cloth
Concealing jade in the heart
71
To know without knowledge is best
To not understand knowledge is affliction
Now （it is） because afflictions afflict
That there is a way to avoid affliction
Wise ones avoid disease
Because they are made ill by illness
This is the way to avoid the disease
72
（When） the people do not heed the imposing
Then great impositions come to pass
Do not constrict the places where they live
Do not overtax their means of living
Only when there is no oppressing
Will there then be no oppression
This is how wise ones know themselves
Without displaying themselves
Love themselves
Without venerating themselves
And so dismiss That to choose This
73
Courage atop presumption suggests dying
Courage in avoiding presumption suggests survival
（Yet） either of these may be sometimes beneficial；
other times harmful
That which heaven holds in contempt …
Who knows as to the reasons？
This is why wise ones watch for things to get complicated
Heaven抯 way does not compete； yet skillfully overcomes
Does not speak； yet skillfully replies
Does not summon； yet naturally attracts
Is above all of this； yet skillfully arranges
Heaven抯 net is vast & encompassing
Loosely meshed； and yet nothing escapes
74
（If） the people do not fear death
Then why use death to intimidate them？
Suppose it were so that the people always feared death
And still they behaved perversely
（When） we seized； detained and executed them
Who would be bold？
There will always be a master executioner to do the killing
Now to t