曲则全，枉则直，洼则盈，敝则新，少则得，多则惑。
Bend, and you stay whole.
Yield, and you come out straight.
Hollow out, and you fill.
Wear out, and you renew.
Have little, and you gain.
Have much, and you are confused.
是以圣人抱一为天下式。
So the sage holds to one thing and becomes a model for the world.
不自见，故明；不自是，故彰；不自伐，故有功；不自矜，故长。
Not showing himself, he is clear.
Not asserting himself, he is seen.
Not claiming credit, he has merit.
Not putting himself above, he lasts.
夫唯不争，故天下莫能与之争。
He does not compete — and so no one in the world can compete with him.
古之所谓曲则全者，岂虚言哉！诚全而归之。
"Bend and stay whole" — was that an empty saying?
No: it is how you actually come back whole.
Reading it
Six pairs saying the same thing from different angles: the straight line is not always the shortest path to staying intact. The four "not"s in the middle are the operational part — each is a way of not adding yourself to the situation. Note that the result is not humility as a virtue; it is effectiveness. A person who does not need credit gets more done, because they are not spending energy defending their share of it.
Do one piece of work this week and let someone else's name be on it.