Tao Te Ching, 66

The great rivers and seas are kings of all mountain streams

Because they skillfully stay below them.

That is why they can be their kings.

Therefore, in order to be the superior of the people,

One must, in the use of words, place himself below them.

And in order to be ahead of the people,

One must, in one’s own person, follow them.

Therefore, the sage places himself above the people and they do not feel his weight.

He places himself in front of them and the people do not harm him.

Therefore the world rejoices in praising him without getting tired of it.

It is precisely because he does not compete that the world cannot compete with him.

(Tao Te Ching, 66)

Today, I would try to interpret the above text from the topic " The Taoist Sage as Philosopher-King ".

The virtue of humility can still be noticed in the above text. The ones who are respected by the people are usually below them. The ones who they follow are behind them. In this way, it can be understood that the sage who governs the people should not be boastful in his position. The leader should not take commands and act as if he is someone above the people. He must carry with him humility and respect towards the people so that when he places himself in front of them, they would not feel that he is acting as a boss taking orders to his men. When the leader is humble enough to listen to his people and act like someone they could trust, everyone will support him and never gets tired of him. His goodness and impartiality will be the basis of the people's support to him. He does what he ought to do and so everything he does goes the way it should be. He does not see competition between other men, he is sincere in his actions and unmindful of the other seeming good acts that would threaten his position.