Line by Line - Verse 29, Line 9

Strength is of weakness oft the spoil;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Sometimes there is strength and sometimes weakness;
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Either have strength or weakness
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Sometimes you're strong,
sometimes you're weak.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Back when I was a social worker, I remember a case that involved a particular family. The husband/father was the breadwinner, taskmaster, final authority and overall rock of his family. One day he was seriously injured and was thrown out of work for months on end. His injuries were so severe that he needed round the clock care and could hardly feed himself.

Both he and his family were thrown into complete disarray. The husband didn't know how not to be in control and the wife didn't know how to be the leader.

Though I had never heard of Taoism at this point in my life, I utilized something right out of the Tao Te Ching as a counseling strategy. I talked to them about the weather! I noted that storms can blow long and hard, but eventually they calm down and pleasant weather returns.

So, sometimes the weather is strong and at other times it is mild. It can be fierce and it can be tranquil. Each of us is just like the weather. There are times we fill one role and then there are times we fill a different role. No person is one way all the time.

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