Straight from today’s Quotle — here’s who really said it, and the story behind it. Play again

Who really said it

In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were their rulers. In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves.'

Written by Lao Tzu (in James Legge’s translation) Lao Tzu trad. 6th century BC · founder of Taoism, credited author of the Tao Te Ching
Verified Free to reuse

This is a genuine passage from the ‘Tao Te Ching’ (Dao De Jing), Chapter 17, the classic traditionally attributed to Lao Tzu. The exact English wording is James Legge’s 1891 translation (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39); the popular version simply drops Legge’s bracketed insertions such as ‘(the people)’ and ‘(their rulers).’

Last verified 10 Jul 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

For presentations

Put it on a slide

Verified quote & credit

“In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were their rulers. In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves.'” Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, ch. 17, trans. James Legge (1891)

Can you use it?

Free to use, including in commercial and paid presentations — no permission or licence needed.

Image direction — grounded in this quote’s real context; paste into your image tool

In context

Evoking the world of Lao Tzu — Chinese sage · founder of Taoism · credited author of the Tao Te Ching. Theme: "In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were their rulers. In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves.'". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Minimalist

Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were their rulers. In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves.'". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Work
Tâo Teh King (Tao Te Ching / Dao De Jing), Chapter 17
Author
Lao Tzu (traditional attribution)
Translation
James Legge, 1891 — Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39
Publisher
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891

In the highest antiquity, (the people) did not know that there were (their rulers). In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Thus it was that when faith (in the Tâo) was deficient (in the rulers) a want of faith in them ensued (in the people). How irresolute did those (earliest rulers) appear, showing (by their reticence) the importance which they set upon their words! Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, ‘We are as we are, of ourselves!’ Chapter 17, in full

Legge’s full Chapter 17, with his bracketed clarifications restored. The circulating quote is this same passage with the brackets removed.

Read Legge’s Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17

How we verified it

  • The distinctive phrases — “In the highest antiquity… did not know that there were their rulers” and “We are as we are, of ourselves” — appear verbatim in James Legge’s 1891 rendering of Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17 ↗.
  • The translation was first published in The Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39 (1891) ↗, edited by F. Max Müller — placing this English wording firmly in the public domain.
  • Side-by-side translation compilations confirm the same Legge text and show how other renderings (Bynner, Mitchell, etc.) reword the same chapter at this Chapter-17 collection ↗.
Public domain

The ancient Chinese original is long out of copyright, and the specific English wording quoted is James Legge’s translation, first published in 1891 (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39). A translation published before 1931 is in the public domain in the United States.

This reflects the original work, which is public domain. If your exact English wording comes from a specific modern translation, that translation may itself still be under copyright — check the edition you quote.

Fact-check

A genuine quote — with a translation caveat

Unlike most lines pinned on famous sages, this one is authentic: it really is from the Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17, the work credited to Lao Tzu. The only things worth flagging are how it is framed.

‘Lao Tzu’ as a single historical author Scholarly caveat

The Tao Te Ching is traditionally attributed to Lao Tzu, but many scholars regard the text as a compiled work and Lao Tzu as a semi-legendary figure. The line is genuinely from the book credited to him — just don’t treat ‘Lao Tzu’ as a documented single speaker.

“Lao Tzu’s exact words” Translation

The elegant English is James Legge’s 1891 translation, not Lao Tzu’s literal words. Popular reposts also quietly delete Legge’s bracketed clarifications (‘(the people)’, ‘(their rulers)’), which is why the circulating text reads more smoothly than the printed original at terebess.hu ↗.

Verdict: authentic. It is Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17 ↗, correctly attributed to Lao Tzu, in James Legge’s public-domain 1891 rendering.

Context

Why it’s quoted

Chapter 17 is one of the most-cited passages in leadership and management writing. It ranks four kinds of rulers — the best, whose people barely notice them; then the loved; then the feared; then the despised — and closes with the ideal outcome: the work gets done and the people credit themselves.

The final line, “We are as we are, of ourselves,” is the seed of countless modern paraphrases about the invisible leader, most famously Witter Bynner’s and others’ ‘when the work is done… they will say: we did it ourselves.’

The best rulers are barely known; their success is one the people claim as their own.

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Leadership Humility

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Legge’s Tao Te Ching (full text)terebess.hu

James Legge’s complete 1891 translation, including Chapter 17 verbatim.
Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39 (1891)archive.org

Scanned first edition of the volume containing Legge’s Tao Te Ching.
Tao Te Ching Chapter 17 — translations comparedegreenway.com

Multiple translations of Chapter 17 side by side, with commentary and links.
Tao Te Ching (Legge) at Internet Sacred Text Archivesacred-texts.com

Standard online edition of Legge’s translation.
Tao Te Ching at the Internet Classics Archiveclassics.mit.edu

Another public-domain online edition of the Tao Te Ching for cross-checking.

The credited author

About Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu

trad. 6th century BC · Chinese sage · founder of Taoism · credited author of the Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu (Laozi, ‘Old Master’) is the semi-legendary Chinese sage traditionally named as the author of the Tao Te Ching, the foundational text of Taoism. Modern scholars debate whether he was a single historical figure or whether the book is a compiled work of the Warring States period, but the text has been credited to him for over two millennia. The precise English wording quoted here belongs to the Scottish sinologist James Legge (1815–1897), whose 1891 rendering remains one of the most widely reproduced.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Primary source — Chicago

Lao Tzu, The Tâo Teh King, ch. 17, trans. James Legge, in The Texts of Tâoism, Part I (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891).

MLA (9th ed.)

Lao Tzu. The Tâo Teh King, ch. 17. Translated by James Legge, Clarendon Press, 1891.

APA (7th ed.)

Lao Tzu. (1891). The Tâo Teh King (J. Legge, Trans.). Clarendon Press.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘In the highest antiquity, the people did not know that there were their rulers. In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, 'We are as we are, of ourselves.'’?” Last verified 10 Jul 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/in-the-highest-antiquity-the-people-did-not-know-that-there

Copied