Chapter 75
民之饥
民之饥，
以其上食税之多，
是以饥。
民之难治，
以其上之有为，
是以难治。
民之轻死，
以其上求生之厚，
是以轻死。
夫唯无以生为者，
是贤于贵生。
When the people starve it is because their ruler extracts too much in taxes, that is why they starve. When the people are hard to govern it is because their ruler takes action, that is why they are hard to govern. When the people regard death as unimportant it is because they seek life too assiduously, that is why they regard death as unimportant. It is precisely doing nothing for the sake of life that makes one worthier than those who value life.
A modern classroom translation, with labeled subsections for study.
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