Line by Line - Verse 22, Line 5

He whose (desires) are few gets them;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Have little and gain;
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Have little and receive
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you want the world, renounce your riches.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

When we are full, it's difficult to be on the receiving end. Yes, we may be able to cram in one more trinket or bauble, but it takes such effort and everything feels compressed. As we continue to add to our largess, nothing ever seems to satisfy us. The feeling of accomplishment is short-lived and the reward itself never seems to live up to the desire FOR it.

However, when we allow room in our lives, there is far more we can receive. As Derek Lin explains it,

Being low means being humble. To be filled is to receive abundantly. Just as lowly places tend to be filled with water, so too does a humble person receive an abundance of respect and goodwill.

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