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"Bring proper order to the state by being straightforward And deploy the military with strategies that take the enemy by surprise, But in ruling the world be non-interfering in going about its business (wushi). How do I know that this is really so? From the following. The more prohibitions and taboos there are in the world, The poorer the people will be. The more sharp instruments in the hands of the common people, The darker the days for the state. The more wisdom hawked among the people, The more that perverse things will proliferate. The more prominently the laws and statutes are displayed, The more widespread will be the brigands and thieves. Hence in the words of the sages: We do things noncoercively (wuwei) And the common people develop along their own lines; We cherish equilibrium (jing) And the common people order themselves; We are non-interfering in our governance (wushi) And the common people prosper themselves; We are objectless in our desires (wuyu) And the common people are of themselves like unworked wood."