The Laozi defines three categories of student: good, mediocre and poor. But really there are just the two – good and poor – and we all contain both in varying measure. The good student loves and works – gives – unconditionally; the poor student mocks and sneers – takes – always knows best. Heart and self. It is the teacher's job to force the student into situations where this dichotomy becomes obvious. It is then up to the student to regularly inhabit such situations and start to see the self – the poor student we all harbour – as the unwelcome foreign entity it really is.