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"Bowed down then preserved; Bent then straight; Hollow then full; Worn then new; A little then benefited; A lot then perplexed. Therefore the sage embraces the One and is a model for the empire. He does not show himself, and so is conspicuous; He does not consider himself right, and so is illustrious; He does not brag, and so has merit; He does not boast, and so endures. It is because he does not contend that no one in the empire is in aposition to contend with him. The way the ancients had it, 'Bowed down then preserved', is no emptysaying. Truly it enables one to be preserved to the end."