Line by Line - Verse 23, Lines 11-12

while even those who are failing in both these things agree with him where they fail.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

He who loses the way
Is lost.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who follow loss are with loss
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you're ready to fail, you can live with failure.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Each of us needs some bedrock principles to live by. If our actions merely are dictated solely by popular opinion, whim or vested self-interest, then we become capable of committing dastardly acts that injure ourselves and others. We will come to embrace the notion that the end always justifies the means.

In Lao Tzu's view, following Tao means to cast aside selfish desire and instead to become a person of humility, compassion and peace. When we lose sight of these means, we have lost our way.

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