Line by Line - Verse 81, Line 11

with all the doing in the way of the sage he does not strive.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The Tao of the sage is work without effort.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The Tao of sages
Assists and does not contend
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

The Masters always work with people, never against them.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Throughout this long series, I have leaned on many to help me wend my way through the Tao Te Ching line by line. The thought and analysis I leaned on most often is Derek Lin, so it only seems fitting to me to end this series with his final observation of this meaningful text.

The positive, uplifting Tao of Heaven benefits all things. The rain waters all plants; the sun warms everyone. In emulating this, we also seek to benefit all people and refrain from hurting them with criticism or contention.

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