Therefore it is said: The people are the staff of the virtuous and the unworthy; both the virtuous and the unworthy possess them. Therefore, when a virtuous person attains it, an unworthy person abandons it; the staff can lean either way, and loyalty and trustworthiness adorn it.

The people are an accumulation of foolishness; although they may be foolish, a wise ruler selects officials who will certainly cause the people to flourish. Scholars and commoners give it to them, and the enlightened sovereign promotes it; if scholars and commoners oppose it, the enlightened sovereign removes it. Therefore, a sage ruler selects officials without forgetting to ensure that the people lead first before harmony follows. The people are the standard for officials; one must observe officials among the people before following them.

The political doctrine says: The people are the most humble, yet they must be allowed to select officials and will certainly choose those they love. Therefore, if ten people love a person, he is an official of ten people; if a hundred people love him, he is the official of a hundred people; if a thousand people love him, he is an official for a thousand people; if ten thousand people love him, then he is the official of ten thousand people. Therefore, an official loved by ten thousand people may be appointed as a high minister or prime minister. This vision of governance through popular affection reflects the yin and yang balance between ruler and ruled — the sovereign above, the people below, each sustaining the other.

High ministers and prime ministers are the assistants of feudal lords; therefore, the rank of marquises is established accordingly. High ministers and prime ministers form the foundation for marquises. This hierarchy, grounded in the people's will, embodies the ten classic philosophical views of Laozi on natural order and legitimate authority.

Primary sources include the Shoushanige Congshu edition, the Zhengtong Daozang (Taoist Canon) edition, and the Mohaijinju edition. This chapter's theory of popular selection of officials connects to the broader origin and development of Taoism as a tradition of governance through virtue and natural order.