Line by Line - Verse 24, Line 2

he who stretches his legs does not walk (easily).
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

He who strides cannot maintain the pace.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who straddle cannot walk
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Learn how to pace yourself
if you want to get anywhere.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

As with the previous line, I like the way Derek Lin takes the obvious meaning one step further.

To straddle is to strike an exaggerated pose. This represents pomposity -- a pretentious display of the ego. Just as we cannot walk while straddling, so too can we not make any progress in life when we are too busy projecting a boastful sense of self-importance.

In my mind's eye, Lin's explanation even works with the Feng & English phraseology because one who over strides is behaving just as pompously.

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