Line by Line - Verse 45, Line 10

Purity and stillness give the correct law to all under heaven.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Stillness and tranquility set things in order in the universe.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Clear quietness is the standard of the world
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

But whatever the weather,
if you stay calm,
the world will sort itself out around you.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Writing in the 12th Century, Taoist Master Li Hsi-Chai (as quoted by Red Pine) sums up this line and the previous two in this way.

Activity overcomes cold but cannot overcome heat. Stillness overcomes heat but cannot overcome cold. Whereas perfect stillness or lack of effort doesn't try to overcome anything, and yet nothing in the world can overcome it. Thus it is said that perfect stillness can govern the world.

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