Line by Line - Verse 41, Line 1

Scholars of the highest class, when they hear about the Tao, earnestly carry it into practice.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The wise student hears of the Tao and practices it diligently.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Higher people hear of the Tao
They diligently practice it
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

When a wise person hears about Tao,
he gets right with it.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In looking at this first line (as well as the next two) of Verse 41, it brings to my mind the different kinds of students I encountered in college. The first type were those who took their studies seriously, put not so much that they became pedantic.

They read a good deal of the assigned material and made use of secondary resources, whether these were assigned or not. They spent a significant amount of time thinking about the chosen topic and came to understand it inside and out.

Most importantly, they weren't interested in merely regurgitating facts, figures and/or opinions of others. They worked to synthesize what they had learned with their own knowledge and experience with the goal of increasing their practical skills and capabilities.

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