Line by Line - Verse 30, Lines 1-3

He who would assist a lord of men in harmony with the Tao will not assert his mastery in the kingdom by force of arms. Such a course is sure to meet with its proper return.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Whenever you advise a ruler in the way of Tao,
Counsel him not to use force to conquer the universe.
For this would only cause resistance.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The one who uses the Tao to advise the ruler
Does not dominate the world with soldiers
Such methods tend to be returned
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you want to be a leader who's in touch with Tao,
never use violence to achieve your goals.
Every act of violence backfires.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

The message of the three lines above isn't a theoretical notion. It involves an idea that we can test in our everyday lives.

Try forcing another person to do something they steadfastly do not want to do -- you will meet with resistance AND resentment.

Try pushing a door in a direction it was not built to go and you will find that it pushes back against you.

Try forcing more air into a balloon than can fill the space and it will pop in your face.

As Ron Hogan aptly puts it, violence always backfires.

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