Line by Line - Verse 41, Line 9

Its highest virtue from the vale doth rise;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The highest Virtue seems empty;
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

High virtue appears like a valley
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Those with the most virtue
seem debased.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

We live in a world of self-defined gurus, sages, and motivational coaches. They dazzle us with books, dvds, retreats, seminars and websites. Far too many of them spent a good deal of time shining a light on themselves screaming, "Look at me! Look at me!" They will tell you that if you follow x number of simple steps that have worked for them, you might just end up lucky enough to be half as enlightened as they believe they are.

The true sage stands in the background and has no need nor desire for self-promotion. They aren't out there trying to "sell" you salvation. They peddle no gimmicks for self-realization.

If you asked a true sage if he or she is, in fact a sage, the most likely response will be, "Who me?"

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