Leadership in Thoughts from the Tao-te-Ching and The Qualities of a Pri

Leadership in Thoughts from the Tao-te-Ching and The Qualities of a Prince Lao-Tzu’s â€Å"Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching† and Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Qualities of a Prince† both have the ultimate goal of making better leaders. The tactics that each writer chooses to present as a guide for the leader are almost opposite of each other. Today’s American government would benefit from a combination of the two extreme ideas. Lao-Tzu’s laissez-faire attitude towards the economy, as well as his small scale, home defense military is appealing to a liberal person. Machiavelli’s attitude towards miserliness and lower taxes, while being always prepared for war, would appeal to a conservative person. The writers are in agreement on some issues, such as taxes, but other ideas, such as government involvement in the everyday lives of citizens are completely opposed to one another. Lao-Tzu believes in moderation and small government. He states that a leader should stay within his country and govern his people only. He stresses that when the maser governs, the people should hardly be aware that he exists. A leader who is loved is better than one who is feared. The worst is one who is despised (22). Lao-Tzu also believes that war is not necessary when all follow the Tao. He states that â€Å"violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon itself;† therefore, if you have a neutral position, you will not be harmed (24). He believes that people are inherently good and not greedy. Man’s greed...