Line by Line - Verse 8, Line 1

The highest excellence is like (that of) water.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The highest good is like water.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The highest goodness resembles water
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

"Doing the right thing" is like water;
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

You can't read the Tao Te Ching and not run smack dab into the metaphor of water! It is one of the quintessential images of philosophical Taoism. It's not hard to understand why. It is one of the elements that makes life possible and, unlike the air, a person can see it or hold it in your hand.

Water was crucial to ancient humankind -- not to suggest that it isn't now -- that counted on agricultural crops to survive. A drought meant the deaths of thousands or millions! Consequently, many religions and religious rituals surrounded the act of asking the sky (gods) for rain.

More importantly, water gives of itself to anyone who seeks it. Rain falls on the just and unjust. Like Tao, it is impartial and provides each of us with a grand model by which we may live our lives in harmony.

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