Friday, August 24, 2012

Line by Line - Verse 81, Line 6

the extensively learned do not know it.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The learned do not know.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who are broad of knowledge do not know
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Smart people don't always have an education.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
When I graduated from college in 1979 (with my first degree), I was more than a little full of myself. I had spent 4 years studying sociology and psychology; the only subject that will screw up your brain more is philosophy!

Let me tell you, I ran around the world using my book smarts to analyze and critique the way people related with one another. Of course, I somehow missed the idea that the sociological theories I had studied were pale facsimiles to real flesh-and-blood human experience. Consequently, I was a boorish ignoramus!!

It took a while, but I eventually grew up.

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

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