The sage has no invariable mind of his own; he makes the mind of the people his mind.
To those who are good (to me), I am good; and to those who are not good (to me), I am also good; – and thus (all) get to be good. To those who are sincere (with me), I am sincere; and to those who are not sincere (with me), I am also sincere; – and thus (all) get to be sincere.
The sage has in the world an appearance of indecision, and keeps his mind in a state of indifference to all. The people all keep their eyes and ears directed to him, and he deals with them all as his children.
Note
Laozi extended the doctrine of Wu Wei—embodying effortless action and natural harmony—into multiple spheres such as governing societies, educating communities, and navigating human relationships.
Chapter 49 illustrates the ideal of selfless governance and harmonious living through the metaphor of the sage-ruler.
Here, Laozi uses the Sage as a model to teach us to engage with others transcendently—free from self-centered, adapting flexibly to diverse individuals, guiding them according to their circumstances, and ultimately fostering a society rooted in simplicity and mutual trust.
Empathetic Leadership
Ordinary minds remain constrained by their fixation on illusory appearances and the entanglements of desire, obscuring their innate connection to the Tao. The sage “has no fixed mind but takes the people’s minds as their own” — prioritizing collective needs over personal biases, fostering unity through humility and adaptability.
Radical Inclusivity
By treating both the virtuous and non-virtuous with kindness, and extending trust even to the untrustworthy, the sage dissolves duality, transforming society through unconditional compassion rather than judgment.
It is essential to recognize that humans are walking contradictions—capable of both benevolence and malevolence, fidelity and betrayal. The sage’s teachings aim to elevate inherent goodness while tempering destructive inclinations.
Return to Simplicity
The sage “muddles the mind” of the world, guiding people to shed artificial desires and rediscover childlike authenticity. This reflects Lao Tzu’s vision of harmony rooted in natural spontaneity, not imposed order.
In essence, the chapter advocates transcending ego-driven control, embracing fluidity in relationships, and cultivating a society where trust and simplicity arise from leaders who embody selfless virtue.
Further Reading
Chapter Five states, “Heaven and earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs. The sage is not benevolent; he treats the people as straw dogs.” This emphasizes the impartiality of the heavenly Tao toward all things, revealing from the perspective of cosmic law the nature of the Tao as “without partiality or bias.” Chapter Forty-Nine embodies the sage’s indiscriminate inclusion of all people through the principle of “being kind to the kind, and also kind to the unkind.” By emulating the heavenly Tao, the sage transcends distinctions. Together, they point to the supreme Taoist realm of “transcending binary oppositions.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven proposes, “The sage is always skilled at saving people, so there are no abandoned people; always skilled at saving things, so there are no abandoned things,” advocating the inclusion of all existence. Chapter Forty-Nine then demonstrates the redemption of the “abandoned” through the principle of “being kind even to the unkind,” achieving the transformation of the unworthy by “taking the hearts of the people as one’s own heart.”
聖人無常心，以百姓心為心。善者，吾善之；不善者，吾亦善之；德善。信者，吾信之；不信者，吾亦信之；德信。聖人在天下，歙歙為天下渾其心，百姓皆注其耳目，聖人皆孩之。
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