3. Keeping the People at Peace
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
不尚贤,使民不争;不贵难得之货,使民不为盗;不见可欲,使心不乱。
English translation
Do not exalt the worthy, so that people do not compete; do not prize scarce goods, so that people do not steal; do not display objects of desire, so that hearts are not disturbed.
The focus is on how governance shapes social habits: reducing the glorification of status, wealth, and desire reduces the incentives for conflict.
Original Chinese text
是以圣人之治,虚其心,实其腹,弱其志,强其骨。
English translation
Therefore, in the sage’s governance, minds are cleared, bellies are filled, striving ambitions are softened, and bodies are strengthened.
Good governance first secures basic life, eases agitated ambition and anxiety, and gives people a stable foundation.
Original Chinese text
常使民无知无欲。
English translation
Keep people free from manipulative cleverness and excessive desire.
This does not call for ignorance; it calls for reducing scheming knowledge that fuels rivalry and wants that have no natural limit.
Original Chinese text
使夫知者不敢为也。
English translation
Let those who rely on clever schemes not dare to interfere.
When institutions and customs do not reward manipulation, people who would disrupt order through cunning have less room to act.
Original Chinese text
为无为,则无不治。
English translation
Govern by acting without force, and nothing will remain ungoverned.
By responding to actual conditions and restraining excessive intervention, affairs can settle into order through their own patterns.