The Tao of Political Leadership

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!”

— Lao Tzu (translated by Stephen Mitchell), Tao Te Ching, 17

“When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists.”

When a leader is just, the people are not interfered with. Their interests are preserved.

Leaders do not isolate themselves from the world, but rather, live in harmony with it. They offer subtle guidance instead of dogmatically imposing their dictates on others. Citizens feel empowered to develop their capacities in a free society. There is no…