Line by Line - Verse 74, Line 9

Seldom is it that he who undertakes the hewing, instead of the great carpenter, does not cut his own hands!
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

If you try to cut wood like a master carpenter, you will only hurt your hand.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who substitute for the great carpenter to cut
It is rare that they do not hurt their own hands
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

We'd only end up hurting ourselves.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

As is my wont, I have frequently utilized the writing of Derek Lin to close out verses. Here is a portion of what Lin has to say in relation to this line and the verse as a whole.

The central idea in this chapter is that the negative approach is rarely effective. Capital punishment does not necessarily improve society. If we execute everyone on death row today, we will feel no safer tomorrow. The more we resort to killing as a response to our frustration and anger toward violence, the more violent society becomes.

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