Line by Line - Verse 13, Lines 4-6

Disgrace is being in a low position (after the enjoyment of favour). The getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):--this is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Accept being unimportant. Do not be concerned with loss or gain. This is called "accepting disgrace willingly."
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Favor is high; disgrace is low Having it makes one fearful Losing it makes one fearful This is "favor and disgrace make one fearful"
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you're down, you might be able to get up. But if you're up, you can get knocked down real fast. Don't worry about the score, just do what you have to do.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In many cases -- this certainly is one in my book -- Ron Hogan's interpretation really captures the essence of a line or lines in the common vernacular!

For me, this is one of the quintessential principles of philosophical Taoism. We too often get so caught up in focusing on an expected end result that we mess up what we're doing because we're not paying attention to the here and now.

The lesson contained in these lines is that we often can't control outcomes. There are circumstances, situations and variables that we don't or can't account for. Consequently, we should always endeavor to put our best foot forward and let the outcome configure itself.

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