Line by Line - Verse 38, Line 14

when its attributes were lost, benevolence appeared;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

When goodness is lost, there is kindness.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Virtue is lost, and then benevolence
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you don't have integrity,
there's always kindness.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In speaking about this verse, in general, here's a point John Heider makes in terms of leadership.

Leaders who lose touch with what is happening cannot act spontaneously, so they try to do what they think is right.

This is close to what I think Lao Tzu is trying to get at. Too often, acts of kindness come from a sense of trying to adhere to an external standard. We try to calculate what the responsible action is rather doing what needs to be done spontaneously and without an ulterior motive.

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