Line by Line - Verse 10, Line 15

it does all, and yet does not boast of it;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Working yet not taking credit,
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Achieving without arrogance
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Doing the job without expecting anything,
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

For me, this line speaks to us about expectations. Too often, what we expect to get from any situation or circumstance exerts a tremendous influence upon our thoughts, deeds and actions. Instead of focusing totally on the task at hand, we divide our attention between what is right in front of us and where we expect to be upon completion.

By dividing our focus in this manner, we take something away from the effort employed. While, by an external and/or internal perspective, we may still succeed beyond our wildest dreams, we will not have traveled as far or as well as we might have if we had been fully attentive.

It often is our desire for recognition and plaudits that keeps us from being as successful as we could be.

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