Line by Line - Verse 33, Line 5

He who is satisfied with his lot is rich;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

He who knows he has enough is rich.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who know contentment are wealthy
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you have only what you need,
you have true wealth.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

For me, this line is so sensible! As long as we always are looking for more of this and more of that, we generate untold amounts of stress and tension in our lives. Continuously striving is a recipe for mental and physical exhaustion. In a society such as ours -- where ambition is treated like a god -- there is no time to sit in contemplation or to catch our breath.

When we scale back our wants and desires, we free ourselves from the proverbial treadmill. Life can be more tranquil because we're not always off on some mad dash to accumulate more money, fame, status, influence or power.

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