Line by Line - Verse 8, Line 7

(No corresponding line)
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

In speech, be true.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

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

Say what you mean.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

As we're in the middle of campaign season here in the US, this one simple line would be a breath of fresh air, if our political candidates took it to heart! Unfortunately, the art of politics is all about speaking sideways in half-truths and lies. It's gotten so bad that, even if a solitary candidate were to say something truer than true, few people would believe them because the obfuscators would so muddy the water that the truth would be impossible to discern!!

Derek Lin relates this line back to the metaphor of water.

Water reflects its surroundings and does not hide or change anything with its reflection. We conduct ourselves with this same sense of integrity and accuracy. People come to trust us, because they realize we will give them the truth when no one else will.

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