Line by Line - Verse 47, Line 3

The farther that one goes out (from himself), the less he knows.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The farther you go, the less you know.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The further one goes
The less one knows
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

The farther you wander,
the less you know.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Ever tried figuring out what your significant other[s] is thinking or feeling at any given moment? Even those of us in long-term relationships -- Della and I have been a couple for 27+ years -- it is easy to misread and misunderstand the beloved. When we act on these incorrect assumptions, that tends to lead to problems like arguments and hurt feelings.

It's hard enough to know thyself!! The farther we get away from this thing we each call "me," the less we REALLY know.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.