Chapter 8
EIGHT
The highest virtue is like water: it benefits everything without exciting rivalries. We should be like
water, choosing the lowest place which all others avoid. We are then closely akin to TAO.
For our dwelling we should choose the place where we can be of most benefit to our neighbors; we should be kind and courteous, always choosing to be with good people; in speech we should only speak words of truth and kindness; in administration we should seek to keep things in peace and order; in affairs we should exercise our best abilities; in activities we should adjust ourselves as circumstances arise and change.
Inasmuch as we are never seeking pre-eminence, no one will hate us.