Line by Line - Verse 7, Line 7

Is it not because he has no personal and private ends, that therefore such ends are realised?
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Is it not due to their selflessness? That is how they can achieve their own goals
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

They don't worry about what they can't control. That's why they're always satisfied.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Today I'm going to share three snippets from Chinese philosophers as presented in the book, Lao-tzu's Taoteching: with Selected Commentaries of the Past 2000 Years by Red Pine. The comments hone in on this last line as well as provide an overview of the entire verse.

Those who live for themselves fight with others. Those who don't live for themselves are the refuge of others.
~ Wang Pi ~

Heaven and Earth help creatures fulfill their needs by not having any needs of their own. Can the sage do otherwise?
~ Sung Ch'ang-Hsing ~

Although the sage is a sage, he looks the same as others. But because he embodies the Way of Heaven and doesn't fight, he alone differs from everyone else. The sage is selfless because he no longer has a self.
~ Wang P'ang ~

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.