Line by Line - Verse 37, Line 7

Simplicity without a name
Is free from all external aim.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Without form there is no desire.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The simplicity of the nameless
They shall be without desire
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

When our lives are that simple, we want for nothing.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I know that a lot of people will say that desire isn't all bad; it is the engine of ambition. It serves as the motivation to get ahead in this world and, sometimes, to do great things that benefit society.

But desire builds the foundation of stress. In a world of competing wants (not even mentioning, needs), desire creates an inherent tension between what we want and what we get. The former always is far less than the latter!

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