Line by Line - Verse 38, Lines 5-6

(Those who) possessed in the highest degree those attributes did nothing (with a purpose), and had no need to do anything.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

A truly good man does nothing,
Yet leaves nothing undone.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

High virtue takes no contrived action
And acts without agenda
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Truly powerful people
don't do anything,
but they get the job done.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In this instance, I think both Lin & Hogan best capture the meaning of these two lines. It is not that the virtuous person does nothing, but does nothing out of a sense of ego-pride.

This is precisely what I mean when I write that "a person does what needs to be done." The need is determined by the situation and circumstances. You see a problem and you address it without worrying about your personal stake or advancing a personal agenda.

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