Those who embody the Tao
do not show it —
and so they truly have it.

Those who try to hold it
do not have it fully.

The highest virtue does not act
and has no need to act.
Lesser virtue acts
and needs to act.

True benevolence acts without effort.
True righteousness must act deliberately.
Propriety acts with display —
and if ignored,
it resorts to force.

So when the Tao is lost, virtue appears.
When virtue is lost, benevolence appears.
When benevolence is lost, righteousness appears.
And when righteousness is lost, propriety appears.

Propriety is the shell of sincerity —
the beginning of chaos.
Cleverness is just a flower of the Tao —
it marks the start of foolishness.

The wise stay rooted in the real,
not the showy.
They care for the fruit,
not the flower.
They let go of surface,
and hold to substance.