Being virtuous doesn’t require attachment to virtue.
Those without virtue are continuously worried about virtue.
The sage doesn’t focus on doing,
He focuses on being, and thus the right things get done.
The ordinary man is focuses on doing,
Forgets being, and many things are left undone.
The kind, just, and moral men
Could save themselves a lot of trouble
By becoming men of Tao.
When the Tao is lost, man-made kindness,
Righteousness, and morality take its place.
Therefore, the man of Tao focuses
On the inner aspects of life,
Rather than the outer aspects.
He dwells on the substance, not the ornate.
He dwells on the fruit and not the flower.
That which is lasting supersedes passing fads.
