Stanza 19 of the Tao Te Ching is one of the text's most provocative and countercultural passages. Laozi makes bold and seemingly radical claims, calling for eliminating wisdom, knowledge, morality, duty, and profit. However, as with much of Taoist teaching, this is not a literal rejection of virtue or intelligence. Instead, it is a call to return to the root, to let go of the performative and artificial constructs that arise when we lose our connection to the Tao. Rather than suggesting chaos or ignorance, Laozi points toward profound natural simplicity, in which goodness, love, and clarity arise organically, not from moral effort or cleverness but from harmony with the Way.
The Dangers of Over-Refinement
"Eliminate sagacity, abandon knowledge, and the people benefit a hundredfold."
At first glance, this seems anti-intellectual. But Laozi does not condemn wisdom; he warns against intellectualism, cleverness, and the illusion of superior knowing.
Sagacity (Sheng 圣) refers to the kind of sage-like wisdom that becomes a public role, something admired, flaunted, or used to influence others.
Knowledge (Zhi 智) refers to conceptual learning, information, or cunning intelligence used for control or self-importance.
Laozi saw that when society prizes knowledge over being, it becomes fragmented:
The clever manipulate the less clever.
Complexity replaces clarity.
People get lost in systems of thought, forgetting how to live simply and truly.
Let go of cleverness and superiority, and life becomes easier, more equal, and more authentic.
False Virtue Replaces Natural Love
"Eliminate humanitarianism, abandon duty, and the people will return to familial love."
Again, this is not a call to become cold or uncaring. Rather, Laozi shows how morality arises as compensation when the true connection is lost.
Humanitarianism (Ren 仁) and Duty (Yi 义) are Confucian ideals of virtue and responsibility.
But in the Taoist view, teaching people to be virtuous is a sign that they've already fallen out of their natural state of connectedness.
If you force people to behave through rules and roles, they lose the intuitive flow of love that once bound them. When people can live simply and closely, they naturally care for each other without needing formal duties.
Rejecting Greed and Manipulation
"Eliminate craft, abandon profit, and there will be no thieves."
Craft (Qiao 巧) refers to cunning, trickery, or skill used for gain, not artistry or honest labor.
Profit (Li 利) speaks to personal gain and material desire.
Laozi isn't saying to stop building or creating. He's saying that when people are conditioned to pursue profit, they become competitive, possessive, and deceitful. Where there is an obsession with gain, there will always be theft, corruption, and inequality. By letting go of the glorification of profit and clever gain, we can restore fairness, balance, and peace.
The Problem with Embellishment
"These three become insufficient when used for embellishment, causing there to be attachments."
Here, Laozi reveals the deeper issue: Sagacity, virtue, and profit are not inherently evil. But when they are used to decorate society, to project appearance, they create attachment:
To status
To moral identity
To wealth and possessions
To complexity instead of truth
These embellishments become masks that hide the simple truth of life, creating a distance between people and the Tao. When society lives through pretense, people become lost in appearances, clinging to roles, achievements, and ideals instead of living naturally and freely.
Simplicity and the Unspoiled
"See the basic, embrace the unspoiled, lessen selfishness, diminish desire."
Laozi now offers the antidote to artificial living:
See the Basic (Jian Su 见素)
- Return to what is fundamental and essential.
- Let go of elaborate beliefs and surface-level identities.
- Focus on what is real and enduring, not what is fashionable or complex.
Embrace the Unspoiled (Bao Pu 抱朴)
- This refers to unhewn wood, a core Taoist image of original simplicity and wholeness.
- Embrace naturalness, innocence, and authenticity, not refinement or performance.
Lessen Selfishness (Shao Si 少私)
- Let go of constant self-reference, ego, and comparison.
- Move from "What do I get?" to "What serves the whole?"
Diminish Desire (Gua Yu 寡)
- Not in a repressive way, but by seeing through the illusions of craving.
- When the desire is diminished, contentment naturally arises.
These four practices bring us back to the Tao quietly, inwardly, and powerfully.
Practical Application
Let Go of the Need to Seem Wise
- Don't be clever for the sake of being clever.
- Focus on living truthfully, not appearing "spiritually advanced" or morally superior.
Practice Natural Care, Not Performative Virtue
- Show love through action and presence, not duty or guilt.
- Let kindness be quiet, effortless, and unforced.
Release the Grip of Material Ambition
- Don't let profit or status define your life.
- Find fulfillment in enough, not in more.
Embrace the Uncarved Wood
- Allow yourself to be simple, real, and unpolished.
- you don't need to be a brand or an ideal; you are enough as you are.
Diminish Inner Clutter
- Turn down the volume of inner striving.
- Choose presence over performance, stillness over stimulation.
Stanza 19 is a call to unlearn, to release the clutter, and to return to what is essential. Laozi shows us that when we chase ideals of wisdom, morality, or success, we lose the deeper truth they were meant to point toward. Instead of building a more virtuous facade, he asks us to strip away the excess, let go of cleverness, stop performing, return to simplicity, and Live the Tao. When life is lived from the root, there's no need for embellishment; everything takes care of itself.