Tao Te Ching · Ch. 59

治人事天,莫若嗇。夫唯嗇,是謂早服;早服謂之重積德;重積德則無不克;無不克則莫知其極;莫知其極,可以有國;有國之母,可以長久;是謂深根固柢,長生久視之道。

Zhì rén shì tiān, mò ruò sè. Fú wéi sè, shì wèi zǎo fú; Zǎo fú wèi zhī zhòng jī dé; Zhòng jī dé zé wú bù kè; Wú bù kè zé mò zhī qí jí; Mò zhī qí jí, kě yǐ yǒu guó; Yǒu guó zhī mǔ, kě yǐ cháng jiǔ; Shì wèi shēn gēn gù dī, cháng shēng jiǔ shì zhī dào.

In governing people and serving heaven, nothing is better than frugality and restraint. Only through restraint does one achieve early preparedness; early preparedness means accumulating virtue; deep accumulation of virtue means there is nothing that cannot be overcome; when nothing cannot be overcome, no one knows your limits; when no one knows your limits, you can hold a state; holding the mother of the state, you can endure long. This is called putting down deep roots and securing the foundation — the Tao of long life and lasting vision.

— Tao Te Ching 59

Source: Wang Bi edition (Chinese) + Hanyu Pinyin transliteration