Line by Line - Verse 24, Line 5

he who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

He who boasts achieves nothing.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who praise themselves have no merit
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Nobody gives credit to people who always take it.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

The pompous and self-righteous person tends to be a boastful individual too. Not only do they seek to try to be higher and more pious than others, they feel the need to brag about both incessantly.

Since the sage does not compete, there is no reason to boast. It amounts to nothing more than wasted breath.

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