Line by Line - Verse 45, Line 6

Thy greatest art still stupid seem,
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Great intelligence seems stupid.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Great skill seems unrefined
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

The most skilled people
come off as clumsy.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

It is not uncommon that the brightest or most skilled people don't feel the need nor desire to show off their expertise. They are available to help, if asked, but they don't force their ideas on others.

John Heider makes a good observation in his book, The Tao of Leadership,

Perhaps it looks as if the leader is only sitting there and has no idea what to do. But it is just this lack of needless intervention that permits the group to grow and be fertile.

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