Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things.Another way of stating this is to say that a person shouldn't bite off more than they can chew!
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
The sage does not attempt anything very big,
And thus achieved greatness.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
Therefore, sages never attempt great deeds all through life
Thus they can achieve greatness
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
The Masters don't take on more than they can handle,
which is why they can do just about anything.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
I can remember many times in my life, particularly when I was young, that my eyes turned out to be far bigger than my stomach. My parents would caution me, "If you're going to put that much on your plate, you better well eat it!" No problem, I would tell them. I can clean this up in a jiffy and still have room for a big dessert.
Needless to say, I never came close to dessert. After everyone else had left the table, there I sat with my half or three-fourths finished supper. My parents would make me sit there for a good long while contemplating my error in judgment!
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"bite off more than they can chew" suggests greedy or perhaps an inflated sense of what 'self' is able to achieve. The wisdom of the "sage" understands that a simple, 'less-is-more' attitude has more durable (?greater) achievements. The emphasis is on the attitude & not the achievement.
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