Tao Te Ching - 29

To try and control the world,

I think it cannot be done.

The world is a sacred place,

It cannot be forced;

It cannot be controlled.

Doing by force will fail;

Trying to control brings loss.

Thus cultivators act by non-doing,

Then you cannot fail or lose.

People can be leading or following,

Can be fast or slow;

Can be strong or vulnerable;

Can be secure or in peril.

Cultivators eliminate extremes, extravagance, and excessiveness.

Translated by Chiyan Wang

Edited by Robert H. Smitherm Ph.D