# Returning to simplicity: summary

Questions attachment to celebrated wisdom and clever gain, advocating plainness and fewer self-serving desires.

https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/laozi/chapter-19-returning-to-simplicity

## Source and summary

[Laozi · Dao De Jing · Returning to simplicity](https://zh.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=%E9%81%93%E5%BE%B7%E7%B6%93%20%28%E7%8E%8B%E5%BC%BC%E6%9C%AC%29&oldid=2354026#%E5%8D%81%E4%B9%9D%E7%AB%A0)

> 絕聖棄智，民利百倍；絕仁棄義，民復孝慈；絕巧棄利，盜賊無有。此三者以為文不足，故令有所屬﹕見素抱樸，少私寡欲。

Questions attachment to celebrated wisdom and clever gain, advocating plainness and fewer self-serving desires.

## Editorial interpretation

The example below adapts this chapter’s questions to modern work. Evaluate it against the actual purpose and conditions; ancient politics, warfare or ethics do not establish business results.

## Business application

Before adopting a complex system, define the necessary work and justify each additional tool or rule.

1. Choose one relevant case and record its objective, available resources, verified facts and unknowns.
2. Compare options using this chapter’s perspective; choose a limited trial, owner, deadline and a measure to assess the result.

Deliverable: A comparison using returning to simplicity, with conditions for acting or declining.

## Limits

The summary selects main points rather than translating every sentence. The example is not a demonstrated business method; check it against stakeholders’ conditions and actual evidence.

## Validation question

How does this chapter’s perspective change the selected option or priority, and what further evidence could change the decision?

[Laozi: a guide to the Dao De Jing](https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/laozi)

[This material](https://sakimyto.com/classics-data/entries/laozi/chapter-19-returning-to-simplicity.en.md)

Updated: 2026-10-13 · v1.0.0