Line by Line - Verse 77, Line 10

Therefore the (ruling) sage acts without claiming the results as his;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Therefore the sage works without recognition.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Therefore sages act without conceit
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

They do their work without taking credit.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

When an individual works without conceit or the desire for accolades, all efforts are focused on the work itself and, by default, the results of the work. Conceit and the desire for accolades means the focus is split. It means that, whatever success is achieved, it is far less than it could have been.

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