Line by Line - Verse 58, Line 12

Therefore the sage is (like) a square which cuts no one (with its angles);
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Therefore the sage is sharp but not cutting,
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Therefore the sages are:
Righteous without being scathing
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

The Masters have sharp minds,
not sharp tongues.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I really like the way Ron Hogan distills this line. It points to an issue I've struggled with for most of my life. I tend towards a sharp tongue and a sharp pen! My brother often has told me that I was rather infamous in my younger years for cutting people down with words, not fists.

Let's be honest. No one likes being harpooned by another. I know it makes me uncomfortable or angry when I am the recipient. So, these days I try -- imperfectly, of course -- to walk in another's shoes to see how my words might feel from their point of view.

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