19

"Reject sageness and discard knowledge, And the common people will benefit hundreds of times. Reject humankindness and discard righteousness, And the common people will restore familial love. Reject smartness and discard profiteering, And thieves and robbers will disappear. These three are inadequate as mere embellishments. Therefore we should tie them to their roots: Stay with the plain silk and embrace the pristine timber; Reduce selfishness and abstain from desires."