Line by Line - Verse 44, Line 1

Or fame or life,
Which do you hold more dear?
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Fame or self: Which matters more?
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Fame or the self, which is dearer?
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

What's more important,
fame or your well-being?
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I know a lot of people who are far more concerned about what others think of them than what they think about themselves! Fame and status become intoxicating drugs. Initially, such individuals are satisfied with their standing in the community. After a while, though, they need to enhance their status to achieve the same kind of high.

In the end, they constantly try to outdo themselves -- all to be well thought of by a certain segment of society. Like anything else of an ephemeral nature, they are always on guard not to lose what they have already gained. Being ever vigilant at the prospect of a loss in standing, they create and perpetuate an internal stress level that never seems to abate.

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