Do not exalt the worthy, and the people will not compete. Do not value goods that are hard to come by, and the people will not steal. Do not display objects of desire, and the people’s minds will not be disturbed. –Tao Te Ching, Laozi What is the main idea of the passage?

People want things that have value. Take away the value, and people will not want them. People should compete for things that are considered worthy.

People should steal goods that are valuable. If people want something, they should get it.

People’s minds are always disturbed. This disturbance makes people unable to make good decisions.