Line by Line - Verse 58, Line 14

He is straightforward, but allows himself no license;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Straightforward but not unrestrained,
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Straightforward without being ruthless
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

They are straightforward,
but not provocative.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Ruthlessness and provocativeness often are in the eye of the recipient. What I (as the speaker or writer) may view as merely straightforward, you (as the listener or reader) may define altogether differently.

It is for this reason that I like the Feng/English use of the word "unrestrained." It says to me that a person can be straightforward without going full bore. There is a difference between walking forward at steady pace and plowing into anything that gets in our way!

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