Tao te Ching: 7

Heaven is eternal and Earth is everlasting.
They can be eternal and everlasting because they
do not exist for themselves,
And for this reason can exist forever.
Therefore the sage places himself in the background,
but finds himself in the foreground.
He puts himself away, and yet he always remains.
Is it not because he has no personal interests?
Thus is the reason why his personal interests are fulfilled.

 Not only does the sage model himself on the everlasting Tao, but here he also models himself on Heaven and Earth once again. Heaven and Earth regard all things as straw dogs in chapter 5, and the sage should regard all people the same, says Lao Tzu. This impartiality is a comforting thing in that context because we know that the impartiality means that the world isn't out to get us. It's hard not to feel that way sometimes, even for the most rational person. Sometimes misfortune comes in steaks and everything seems to be turning against us. So it helps to be told that this isn't true. That helps for humanity, but the sage is supposed to emulate Heaven and Earth. Why?

When you do something for yourself, it eventually comes to ruin. It requires cunning and ambition to accomplish a goal you set for yourself. You abandon hsü and you abandon wu-wei. Yet, if you do things not for yourself or for others, but for the simple reason that it must be done, then it will last. If you think about working with others, would you rather work with someone who doesn't go to extravagant lengths, always has the job done, and never looks for the reward and praise; or would you rather work with someone seeking glory, with ambition and drive? Ambition and drive will eventually exclude you. Ambition and drive will eventually offend others and block your forward movement. Yet the one who stays in the background accomplishes much without overexertion, and is thought well of by all because of the way that he works. By staying in the background, he is elevated to the foreground. He puts his own goals and interests aside, but by doing so, eventually they are fulfilled because he has done what needed to be done.