Line by Line - Verse 49, Line 5

--and thus (all) get to be good.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Because Virtue is goodness.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Thus the virtue of goodness
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

This is real goodness.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Goodness, civility, respect, justice and compassion cannot be bound up by external conditions or else they lose their essential element. How others behave or comport themselves is wholly immaterial. The onus for these virtues falls squarely on each of us.

If we choose to show compassion only for those who behave compassionately towards us, what does this say about the depths of our compassion?

It says that we only give out what we expect to get back. No more, no less. The focus is not on others or the world, but on our own selfish desires.

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