Line by Line - Verse 19, Line 11

Would selfish ends
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

To cast off selfishness
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Reduce selfishness;
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Don't think about what you get for it.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Can there be a grander downfall for each of us than selfishness? It serves as the engine for the suffering of others and ourselves. It is the root of pride, self-righteousness, slothfulness, greed and aggression.

By its very nature, when one thing is put first, other things must come second or lower. When we each institute a hierarchy that begins with this identity of self, we view the world through myopic eyes and the unity of life becomes fragmented and distorted. In essence, we see ourselves as the center of the cosmos; we anoint ourselves god.

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