Line by Line - Verse 77, Line 11

he achieves his merit and does not rest (arrogantly) in it:
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

He achieves what has to be done without dwelling on it.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Achieve without claiming credit
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

They get the job done and move on.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

In this instance, I think Ron Hogan captures the essence of this line in everyday language. There is so much that needs doing in this world and so the sagacious few move from task to task, always focused on serving the needs of the many.

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