Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Chapter 17

When the Master governs, the people
are hardly aware that he exists.
Next best is a leader who is loved.
Next, one who is feared.
The worst is one who is despised.

If you don't trust the people,
you make them untrustworthy.

The Master doesn't talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
the people say, "Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!"

- Chapter 17: Tao Te Ching

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey tao te ching man. ;) better in chinese. ;)

de minimis said...

True. But, then, only the SRJK(C) people can read it in that mode :D. Okay-lah, and 1.5 billion fellas in some country north of here.

Anonymous said...

Didn't know that U r into ancient Chinese texts!

IFF u can read Mandarin THEN the true essence of this text will show.

Well, nothing lost at least something is been related to & appreciated.

BTW wasn't that ghettos framer a non 'Chinese' reader?

de minimis said...

Anon 10:31

"ghettos framer" ????

One's mind needs to have the quality of insatiable curiosity. And, the wisdom of the ancients can never lose its relevance because human folly and foibles are constant.

And, to re-quote George Santayana's insightful words, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."