Tao Teh Ching Chapter 7

天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。
是以圣人后其身而身先；外其身而身存。非以其无私邪，故能成其私。

Translation
The heaven and the earth lasts forever. It is the very fact that they don't live for themselves that make them imperishable.
Therefore the sage puts himself last and yet remains in front, exposes himself and yet he is preserved. Isn't that because he is not selfish at all? Therefore his own interests are always fulfilled.

Detailed Comment
In this chapter, Lao Tzu explained one of the attributes of the Tao when observed by nature or a person. Once again, the person who has the Tao is compared with the nature. When we look at the way nature evolves, we can say that we see the manifestation of the Tao in it. Nature possesses the Tao. The reason for this is that the Nature has no will or desire. Lao Tzu here used 以其不自生(it does not live for himself). Can we then conclude that when a person lives for himself, or has a desire for himself, he then doesn't possess the Tao? I remember now that Prashant S. Iyengar, son of BKS Iyengar, when interview the question 'What is the desire of our souls?'. He answered, the Soul doesn't have any desire, otherwise the soul would be doing things to fulfil that desire. The work Karma is Sanskrit for action. Iyengar says that the Karma is connected with the desire. The soul does not have karma, i.e. it has no action. This is equivalent to Lao Tzu's 无为 (Take no action). It seems that the prinple of Yoga and Lao Tzu are talking about the same thing.