Line by Line - Verse 57, Lines 14-15

Therefore a sage has said, 'I will do nothing (of purpose), and the people will be transformed of themselves;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Therefore the sage says:
I take no action and people are reformed.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Therefore the sage says:
I take unattached action, and the people transform themselves
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

A wise leader says to himself:
"I do nothing,
and people transform themselves.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

When I look at my own experiences in life, it is good to ask whether I learn better when someone simply tells me what to do or when the teacher models the lesson to be taught. I don't know about any of you, but I far better come to a deeper understanding via the latter methodology. It allows me to experience for myself the point another is trying to get across.

Words tend to mean different things to different people. They often represent hurdles or obstacles to real understanding. The wordless sharing of experience, however, can identify commonality amongst people who may speak different languages and come from far flung locales the world over.

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