Sage Rulership and Governance

Where it surfaces

• The Texts of the Tao Te Ching and Chuang-Tzŭ Shu, as Regards Their Authenticity and Genuineness, and the Arrangement of Them

  The text's association with Han emperors and its use as a standard authority (ching) for study at court highlights its relevance to governance.

• III

  Describes the sage's method of governing by emptying minds, filling bellies, and keeping the people without knowledge or desire.

• XIII

  The ideal ruler is one who governs the kingdom as carefully as one's own person, free from personal attachment.

• XVII

  The chapter describes the ideal ruler whose actions are so effortless and reticent that the people feel self-sufficient.

• Chapter XXVI

  Directly addresses the wise prince and lord of chariots, warning against lightness and active movement that could lead to losing the throne.

• XLIX

  The sage makes the people's mind his own and treats all as children, illustrating ideal leadership through receptivity and universal care.

• LIII

  It implies that true governance follows the level and easy path of the Tao, avoiding boastful display and the pursuit of excess.

• LIV

  The passage outlines how the Tao's influence extends from the individual to the entire kingdom, reflecting the ideal of sage rulership.

• LX

  The sage ruler does not harm the people or the spirits, allowing their good influences to converge in the virtue of the Tao, illustrating ideal governance.

• LXI

  The chapter advises rulers of great states to practice condescension and humility to unite and nourish smaller states.

• LXV

  Contrasts the sage ruler, who avoids wisdom-based governance, with the scourge of a ruler who uses his wisdom.

• LXVI

  Describes how the sage ruler leads by being lowly and behind, thus gaining the people's support without strife.

• Chapter LXXIV

  Critiques rulers who attempt to control through capital punishment, emphasizing that the sage does not usurp the role of the 'great carpenter' (the Tao).

• LXXV

  Criticizes rulers who overtax and over-govern, implying that a sage ruler would minimize interference and reduce burdens on the people.