Line by Line - Verse 38, Line 22

It is thus that he puts away the one and makes choice of the other.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Therefore accept the one and reject the other.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Thus they discard that and take this
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

They turn all that down,
so they can accept this.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

This last line represents the culmination of this verse. In it, Lao Tzu implores us to look for depth and to eschew the mere surface -- to claim substance instead of vain superficialities. Those who are able to reach the heart of the matter are those most in touch with Tao.

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