Which belief system does this quote belong to and why? "a leader is best when people barely know he exists; when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves."- laozi this question is 32 points : d

Everyone has heard the oft-quoted maxim about leadership from ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, legendary founder of Taoism and author of The Tao Te Ching:

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.

But how many of you have ever read the entire quote? Here it is.

A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him. Fail to honor people, They fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say, “We did this ourselves.”

Did you notice in the full passage, the parts that are almost never quoted?

Fail to honor people, They fail to honor you.

Honor is a word we have all heard, but one that is infrequently used in everyday discourse. Let’s take a closer look at it.

Honor means to hold in esteem. When you go to court and stand before a judge, you address her as “your honor.” Act inappropriately while you are there and the judge may “hold you in contempt of the court.” In essence, your disrespect dishonored the court.

In Lao Tzu’s view, the best leader talks little. If the leader isn’t talking, he must be listening.So what did Lao Tzu mean when he said that leaders must not fail to honor their people? Looking again at the expanded passage above, some clues glimmer.

Listening, liberating, and lifting up. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? When a loving couple stands before a minister to be married, their vow to each other often contains the phrase “to love, honor, and cherish.”

by Terrence Seamon | Jan 28, 2016 | Leadership Skills