Laozi
不尚賢， 使民不爭； 不貴難得 之貨，使民 不為盜； 不見可欲， 使心不亂。 是以聖人 之治，虛其 心，實其腹， 弱其志， 強其骨。 常使民無 知無欲。 使夫知者 不敢為也。 為無為， 則無不治。
James Legge
Not to value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves; not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves; not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder.
Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones.
He constantly (tries to) keep them without knowledge and without desire, and where there are those who have knowledge, to keep them from presuming to act (on it). When there is this abstinence from action, good order is universal.
Victor H. Mair
Not exalting men of worth prevents the people from competing; Not putting high value on rare goods prevents the people from being bandits; Not displaying objects of desire prevents the people from being disorderly. For these reasons, The sage, in ruling, hollows their hearts, stuffs their stomachs, weakens their wills, builds up their bones, Always causing the people to be without knowledge and desire. He ensures that the knowledgeable dare not be hostile, and that is all. Thus, His rule is universal.
C. Spurgeon Medhurst
When worth is not honored the people may be kept from strife.
When rare articles are not valued the people are kept from theft.
When the desirable is left unnoticed the heart is not confused.
Therefore, the method of government by the Holy Man is to empty the heart, while strengthening the purpose; to make the will pliant, and the character strong. [^1] He ever keeps the people simple-minded and passionless, so that the world-wise do not dare to plan.
Practice non-action and everything will be regulated. [^2]
Jesus, the chief of transcendentalists, summed up the law of life in the command to love God with the whole being, and demanded of his disciples that they bless their enemies, and cherish the same feelings towards their neighbors as they felt for themselves. They were to have no treasures on earth, nor were they to occupy their thoughts with providing for the physical—an ideal which will only be reached as men rise higher than the sense life of hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, feeling. All outer goods are forgotten when man’s inner being is filled with the lustre of God. So long as the driving force of man’s life is desire, so long will he fall short of the teachings of the Savior. When, however, he rises above the bondage of the senses, when he perceives the human soul in all its glory, as the temple of the Holy God, his motives will be as the motives of the Godhead, the standard set up by Christ will be attained. Neither rewards nor punishments will longer appeal to him. The subtle selfishness which the one addresses, and the base fear which the other influences, will alike be alien to his character.
In this ideal republic, the commonwealth of days to come, socialism will realize its noblest ambitions. Each will help his brother forward, and find his joy in seeing the prosperity of his neighbor. Theft will be unheard of, for “rare articles” will be no more prized. The very fact that they are rare, and therefore not within the reach of all, will deprive them of their worth.
How it will be possible for this to become un fait accompli we may perhaps realize by reference to the law of vibrations. As the vibrations which produce the phenomenon of telepathy would, if completely under control, make man independent of the lower vibrations which make speech possible, so when the higher vibrations of the spiritual alone vibrate, the lower vibrations of the earthly will be sought no more. The pure spiritualism of Jesus will be universal among men. They will see God. By ceasing from desire, everything that is desirable will be obtained. Desire stifles; only the desireless breathe God’s atmosphere. “Christian prayer itself is a moderation of desire. It is a refusal any longer to say of everything, ‘It is mine.’ It is the refusal to ask that which will lift me above other people. It is the cry to have my garments parted among the multitude.”
[^1] Lit.—“To make their minds vacant, their stomachs comfortable, their wills weak, and their bones strong.” Cf. Isa. 11.
[^2] Cp. chaps. 63, 65.
Ursula K. Le Guin
Not praising the praiseworthy keeps people uncompetitive.
Not prizing rare treasures keeps people from stealing.
Not looking at the desirable keeps the mind quiet.
So the wise soul governing people would empty their minds, fill their bellies, weaken their wishes, strengthen their bones, keep people unknowing, unwanting, keep the ones who do know from doing anything.
When you do not-doing, nothing’s out of order.
Note UKLG: Over and over Lao Tzu says wei wu wei: Do not do. Doing not-doing. To act without acting. Action by inaction. You do nothing yet it gets done… It’s not a statement susceptible to logical interpretation, or even to a syntactical translation into English; but it’s a concept that transforms thought radically, that changes minds. The whole book is both an explanation and a demonstration of it.