Line by Line - Verse 69, Lines 10-11

Thus it is that when opposing weapons are (actually) crossed, he who deplores (the situation) conquers.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Therefore when the battle is joined,
The underdog will win.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

So when evenly matched armies meet
The side that is compassionate shall win
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

When two forces oppose each other,
the winner is the one most reluctant to fight.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I think Ron Hogan really nails this one!

People or nations that constantly are ready for war are losers, regardless of whether or not they win or lose their battles. War represents a failure of the human imagination and, if that's all you seem to be "good" at, what does that say about you?

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