A leader is best
When people barely know that he exists,
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
Worst when they despise him.
'Fail to honor people,
they fail to honor you;'
But of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say, 'We did this ourselves.'
—Lao Tzu, The Way of Life
* Lao Tzu's The Way of Life has 81 quattros, of which this is #17.
This English text was taken from Witter Bynner's translation | 
