Line by Line - Verse 56, Line 2

he who is (ever ready to) speak about it does not know it.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Those who talk do not know.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who talk do not know
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Those who talk, don't know.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

This blog is filled with people "talking." We talk because we don't know -- at least not completely.

My theory is that none of us will ever know the secrets of the Way. To be certain, we'll catch brief glimpses, here and there, but we will never be able to put it all together.

And so, since we don't know, we talk out loud about our ideas, notions and ruminations. This talking helps us gain perspective and direction. When you talk back, it often spurs deeper thought and contemplation.

If one day this blog goes blank, it could mean that the 5 of us suddenly K-N-O-W. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that occurrence!

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