Line by Line - Verse 20, Line 11

My mind is that of a stupid man; I am in a state of chaos.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

I have the heart of a fool indeed – so ignorant!
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

I'm not going to fill my mind with ideas. I'm not going to get stuck in a rut, tied down to any one place.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

One thing I really like about the works of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu is their use of humor. While so many religious and philosophical works are always so serious, in tone, the Taoist sages like to have fun.

In terms of the above line, we see the use of self-depreciating satire. Look at me. I'm not tied to any desires. I'm a fool. I'm a big dummy. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

It's another way of pointing out that what society often considers intelligent may not be so smart after all.

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