Line by Line - Verse 73, Line 2

he whose boldness appears in his not daring (to do so) lives on.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

A brave and calm man will always preserve life.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The bold in not daring will survive
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Those who dare to be careful survive.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

While passion can provide the needed spark to accomplish much, if we are unable to control it, we soon find that it can become a flame that consumes everything in its path (including ourselves)! This is why passion needs to be tempered by a clear head and calmness.

A calm person is able to size up the situation and circumstances in a dispassionate manner. By not overlooking obvious pitfalls, there is a much greater chance of success.

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