All-pervading is the Great Tao! It may be found on the left hand and on the right.
All things depend on it for their production, which it gives to them, not one refusing obedience to it. When its work is accomplished, it does not claim the name of having done it. It clothes all things as with a garment, and makes no assumption of being their lord;—it may be named in the smallest things. All things return (to their root and disappear), and do not know that it is it which presides over their doing so;—it may be named in the greatest things.
Hence the sage is able (in the same way) to accomplish his great achievements. It is through his not making himself great that he can accomplish them.
About the text, translation & sources
The Chinese text follows our sister site, Longhu Mountain. The English is James Legge’s public-domain translation, first published in 1891, transcribed from the Project Gutenberg edition. Paragraph numbering is omitted; wording, parenthetical explanations and period language are retained. Chinese readings vary between editions.
The Tao Te Ching is traditionally attributed to Laozi. Its date and authorship are debated. Chapter titles are reading aids; they are not part of the ancient Chinese chapter text. The reflection boxes on this site are contemporary editorial questions, distinct from the translation.