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Dao De Jing

1The Tao in its regular course does nothing (for the sake of doing it), and so there is nothing which it does not do.

2If princes and kings were able to maintain it, all things would of themselves be transformed by them.

3If this transformation became to me an object of desire, I would express the desire by the nameless simplicity. Simplicity without a name Is free from all external aim. With no desire, at rest and still, All things go right as of their will.

This former link identified a publication marker outside the text.

Edition source ↗ · Historical translation; Gutenberg US public-domain record. Digital source printing unidentified.
James Legge · Gutenberg 216
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