Line by Line - Verse 59, Line 7

and when one knows not what the limit shall be, he may be the ruler of a state.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

If a man knows no limits, then he is fit to be a ruler.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The limitations being unknown, one can possess sovereignty
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you get right with Tao,
you can be a true leader.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

As Derek Lin reminds us, "To possess sovereignty is to gain power over yourself." While there should be no question that the latter portion (the Te section) of the Tao Te Ching is about suggesting a style of governance to leaders, its message also applies to each of us as "rulers" of our own self-domain.

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