How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Line)
Quote #1
In loving the people and ruling the nation
Can one be without manipulation? [...]
Raising without domination
This is called the Mystic Virtue (10.7-17)
The devious Frank Underwood from House of Cards would think that this one's a joke. We can just hear Kevin Spacey laughing now. Do you think it's actually possible to rule over people without using any kind of manipulative tactics? The TTC says it totally is and that if you dominate people with manipulative tactics, eventually it will cause you to lose all the power you gained.
Quote #2
The highest rulers, people do not know they have them
The next level, people love them and praise them
The next level, people fear them
The next level, people despise them (17.1-4)
So the TTC gives four levels of rulers here: the completely incompetent ones whose people hate them, harsh dictators whose people fear them, populist ones whose people adore them, and, best of all, rulers who are so humble and subtle that the people don't even know they're being ruled. We figure almost every ruler currently on the planet falls somewhere on that spectrum. Think of a few modern-day leaders and figure out where they land. Would the TTC approve of them?