Line by Line - Verse 77, Lines 8-9

Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? Only he who is in possession of the Tao!
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

What man has more than enough and gives it to the world?
Only the man of Tao.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Who can offer their excess to the world?
Only those who have the Tao
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

So who in this world
is truly generous to others?
People who are in touch with Tao.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Tao gives. Humanity takes.

Until we learn the lessons of nature, suffering will have no end.

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