Line by Line - Verse 40, Line 2

And weakness marks the course
Of Tao's mighty deeds.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Yielding is the way of the Tao.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The weak is the utilization of the Tao
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Tao advances by not pressing forward.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

When we stand firm, refusing to move or bend, movement stops. We neither go forward, backward or sideways. While there may be moments in our lives when standing firm is appropriate, in general, the person who refuses to budge ends up stagnating.

In terms of circles and cycles, lack of movement interrupts the perpetual flow. Tao is ever flowing from one to the next. If this flow were to stop in its tracks, life, as we know it, would end.

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