Tao Te Ching Chapter 48

 

The student of knowledge (aims at) learning day by day;

The student of Tao (aims at) losing day by day.

By continual losing

One reaches doing nothing (laissez-faire).

He who conquers the world often does so by doing nothing.

When one is compelled to do something,

The world is already beyond his conquering.

 

Tao Te Ching