Line by Line - Verse 57, Line 1

A state may be ruled by (measures of) correction;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Rule a nation with justice.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Govern a country with upright integrity
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

You can run a country
by sticking to principles,
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

For me, this is a no-brainer! A nation that lacks integrity or justice cannot survive for long. It may seem all-powerful, but, in time, the internal stress will prove to be too much and it will implode.

Someone else puts this into a very clear sentence: A house divided will not stand.

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