《道德经》第三章
不尚贤，使民不争；不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲，使民心不乱。是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹；弱其志，强其骨。常使民无知无欲，使夫智不敢为也。为无为，则无不治。
《Tao-Te Ching》Chapter 3
If we stop looking for‘persons of superior morality’（hsien）to put in power，there will be no more jealousies among the people. If we cease to set store by products that are hard to get，there will be no more thieves. If the people never see such things as excite desire，their hearts will remain placid and undisturbed. Therefore the Sage rules By emptying their hearts And filling their bellies，Weakening their intelligence
And toughening their sinews Ever striving to make the people knowledgeless and desireless. Indeed he sees to it that if there be any who have knowledge，they dare not interfere. Yet through his actionless activity all things are duly regulated. Particularly in the sense of‘having ideas of one’s own‘。
【易解】
不崇尚贤才异能，使人民不至于炫技逞能而争名逐利。不看重稀贵之物，使人民不做盗贼。不显露足以引起贪欲的物事，使人民的心思不至于被扰乱。因此，圣人治理天下的原则是：排弃充斥于人民心中的各种成见，满足人民的温饱需求，软化人民的犟执趋求，提高人民的自立自足能力。通常使人民不执成见、不生贪欲，使那些"智者"不敢为所欲为。从事于无所成为的作为，即可以得到全面的治理。
道德经全文及译文