Tao Te Ching, 38

The man of superior virtue is not (conscious of) his virtue,

And in this way he really possesses virtue.

The man of inferior virtue never loses (sight of) his virtue,

And in this way he loses his virtue.

The man of superior virtue takes no action, but has no ulterior motive to do so.

The man of inferior virtue takes action, and has an ulterior motive to do so.

Therefore, only when Tao is lost does the doctrine of virtue arise. (Tao Te Ching, 38)

Today, I would try to interpret the above text from the topic "The Te".

From the text above, the man with superior virtue does not exert effort to show to the people that he is a man with virtues. Being a man of virtues is natural in him. His actions are enough proofs that he is indeed a real man with virtues. Having the virtues as innate in him, then he will not lose it. He does not pretend to be one but he really is one. The man of inferior virtue, on the other hand, exerts effort to be a man with virtues. He pretends to be one when he is not one. This can seen through his inconsistent actions. Since he pretends to be a man with virtues, he acts according to it only when people are looking at him. When someone is pretending, sometimes he only does this when he wanted to impress the people and to be popular to the people. Since he looks unto his actions, then he will lose it. He is so conscious about sicking to the right things to do that it is not shown naturally anymore. It is like faking his actions.

The doctrine of the virtues arise when one does not pay so much attention into it. He is not so into following the do's and don't's. The virtues come naturally if the person understands what he is going to do and not just merely copying just to get fame and good impression.