The whole world recognizes the beautiful as the beautiful, yet this is only the ugly; the whole world recognizes the good as the good, yet this is only the bad.
Thus something and nothing produce each other;
the difficult and the easy compliment each other;
the long and the short off-set each other;
the high and the low incline towards each other;
note and sound harmonize each other;
before and after follow each other;
Therefore the sagea keeps to the deed that consists in taking no action and practises the teaching that uses no words...
It gives them life yet claims no possession;
It benefits them yet exacts no gratitude:
It accomplishes its task yet lays claim to no merit.
It is because it lays calim to no merit
That its merit never deserts it.
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