Line by Line - Verse 44, Line 2

Or life or wealth,
To which would you adhere?
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Self or wealth: Which is more precious?
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The self or wealth, which is greater?
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

What's worth more,
your money or your life?
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Just like the pursuit of fame, the quest for riches creates a never-ending process. No matter how much you have, you always want more. You can accumulate so much wealth that it would be near too impossible to expend it in a lifetime and yet you cannot be satisfied.

Studies repeatedly have shown that the egregiously wealthy are no happier with their lot in life than the rest of us. It seems that the more wealth you possess, the more your worries increase. You worry about losing all that you've materially gained. You worry that someone else will surpass you. You worry about how to increase your ever increasing largess. Life becomes one worry on top of another.

And here's the thing. When we die, we can't take ANY of the trappings of this life with us. Upon our death, it really makes no difference if you (or yours truly) are a wealthy magnate or a pauper.

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