The best, like water, benefit all and do not compete. They dwell in lowly spots that everyone else scorns. Putting others before themselves, They find themselves in the foremost place and come very near to the Tao.

Lao Tzu

The Best

Topic: Virtue, Morality, & Ethics

THE BEST

“The best, like water,
Benefit all and do not compete.
They dwell in lowly spots that everyone else scorns.
Putting others before themselves,
They find themselves in the foremost place
And come very near to the Tao.
In their dwelling, they love the earth;
In their heart, they love what is deep;
In personal relationships, they love kindness;
In their words, they love truth.
In the world, they love peace.
In personal affairs, they love what is right.
In action, they love choosing the right time.
It is because they do not compete with others
That they are beyond the reproach of the world.”

Lao Tzu

Taoism
Tao Te Ching

Easwaran, Eknath. God Makes the Rivers to Flow: an Anthology of the World's Sacred Poetry & Prose. Nilgiri Press, 2009, [Ruppenthal, Stephen H. The Path of Direct Awakening: Passages for Meditation. Berkeley Hills, 2004].

Lao Tzu