Line by Line - Verse 23, Line 1

Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

To talk little is natural.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Sparse speech is natural
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

When you have nothing to say,
you may as well keep your mouth shut.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

For most people, talk occurs when you are around other folks. (I talk out loud to myself ALL THE TIME, so I don't include myself with "most people.") It's how we communicate with each other.

But when we meditate or engage in deep contemplation, speech isn't really needed. In fact, it often gets in the way of genuine understanding. As Ron Hogan states it, when we really don't have much to say it is better to stay quiet.

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