Line by Line - Verse 8, Line 10

and that of (the initiation of) any movement is in its timeliness.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

In action, be aware of the time and the season.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Moving with great timing
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Do as much as you can, whenever it needs doing.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I can certainly tell you that, at many times in my life, I have been guilty of doing the right thing at the wrong time!! I see what needs to be done, but I tarry so long, that when I finally get around to doing it, its time has passed.

The flow of life is ever moving. Too often, we take static snapshots of one moment in time and then act upon those images once the moment has come and gone.

Ted Kardash, writing on the website, Jade Dragon Online, has this to say about this general principle:

In cultivating wu-wei, timing becomes an important aspect of our behavior. We learn to perceive processes in their earliest stages and thus are able to take timely action. "Deal with the small before it becomes large," is a well-known dictum from Lao Tzu.

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