Line by Line - Verse 78, Line 4

Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard,
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The weak can overcome the strong;
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

That the weak overcomes the strong
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

That's how the weak can defeat the strong,
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Utilizing the imagery of water, Lao Tzu is telling us that lasting victory or success isn't about brute force; it's about persistence! Brute force or will might win the day in the short-term, but they don't hold up in the long-term.

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