Dao De Jing, chapter 30

[lnhammer]

He who assists a lord of men using the Way
Doesn’t use soldiers to control the realm.
Such actions surely [get] their proper return.
Where troops reside, thorns and brambles sprout;
After a great army, there certainly are bad [i.e., famine] years.^[29-1]
The skillful achieves [his goal] then stops,
And doesn’t dare attempt control.
He achieves and then isn’t vain,
Achieves and then doesn’t boast,
Achieves and then isn’t arrogant,
Achieves and then doesn’t covet things,
Achieves and then doesn’t control.^[29-2]
Creatures that get strong then get old:
This we call not [using] the Way,
And [those] not [using] the Way soon end.

^[29-1] Other texts omit this line.
^[29-2] One other text has “This we call achieving without control” and another text as “This we call achieving with control” — my guess is the latter's scribe dropped a “not”

以道佐人主者，
不以兵强天下。
其事好还。
师之所处，荆棘生焉。
大军之后，必有凶年。
善有果而已，
不敢以取强。
果而勿矜，
果而勿伐，
果而勿骄。
果而不得已，
果而勿强。
物壮则老，
是谓不道，
不道早已。

Continues the topic of chapter 29. Same realm/kingdom/world = “[all] under heaven” as in ch.29. The skillful one is traditionally understood as a commander/general.

Admin note: I’ve gone back and consistently retranslated 万物 previously “ten-thousand things” as “myriad creatures.”

---L.