Wen Tzu - Verse 137, Part I

from Verse One Hundred Thirty-Seven

People who have foreknowledge and far-reaching vision are full of ability, but in an orderly society they do not use this to press others. People who are broadly learned, have strong memories, and are eloquent and expressive are full of knowledge, but enlightened leaders do not seek this in subordinates.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

The above passage brought to mind two famous lines from Verse 56 of the Tao Te Ching: "Those who know do not talk. Those who talk do not know."

Our society seems to be overrun with people who are happy to tell us that they have "seen the light," they have figured out the "truth" and/or they "know" what the rest of us have yet to figure out. However, as Lao Tzu points out, anyone who spends their time promoting their sagacity only proves that their sagacity is lacking.

A true sage doesn't call attention to him or herself. They have no need to pump up their egos for their egos are small. Conversely, people who call attention to themselves have very big egos and they need to feed them constantly. So, they run around the world -- or the blogosphere -- promoting their "wisdom" every chance they get.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.