Immateriality. A wheel may have 30 spokes, but its usefulness lies in the empty hub. A jar is formed from clay, but its usefulness lies in the empty center. A room is made from four walls, but its usefulness lies in the space between. Matter is necessary to give form form, but the value of reality lies in its immateriality. Everything that lives has a physical body, but the value of life is measured by the soul. That is chapter eleven of the Tao Teching
And I think that ultimately you cannot disregard anyone's potential. We see it all the time. A cop will save a man from jumping off of a building or a bridge to his death, and later on, that man's newfound life, thanks to that saving effort, goes on to produce nonprofits or fund hospitals or save other lives in turn. So it really is impossible to even permeate ideas based around people's potential because it is all infinite, just like this beautiful chapter represents