【原文】 君有三欲于民，三欲不节，则上位危。三欲者何也？一曰求，二曰禁，三曰令。求必欲得，禁必欲止，令必欲行。求多者，其得寡；禁多者，其止寡；令多者，其行寡。求而不得，则威日损；禁而不止，则刑罚侮；令而不行，则下凌上。 《法法》

【汉解】 君主对人民有三项要求，三项要求不节制，君主地位就危险。三项要求是什么呢？一是索取，二是禁阻，三是命令。索取总是希望得到，禁阻总是希望制止，命令总是希望推行。但索取太多，所得到的反而少；禁阻太多，所制止的反而少；命令太多，所推行的反而少。索取而不得，威信就日益降低；禁阻而不止，刑罚将受到轻视；命令而不行，下面就欺凌君上。

【英译】The prince desires three things from his people, but if these desires are not kept within bounds, his position on high will be endangered. What are these three? The first pertains to what he seeks, the second to what he prohibits, and the third to what he orders. He certainly desires to gain what he seeks. He certainly desires to have stopped what he prohibits. He certainly desires to have carried out what he orders. If he seeks too much, little will be gained. If he prohibits too much, little will be stopped. If he orders too much, little will be carried out. If what he seeks is not gained, his prestige will daily decrease. If what he prohibits is not stopped, the punishments will be ridiculed. If what he orders is not carried out, his subjects will have humiliated the sovereign.