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Laotze
Dao De Jing

English Version by Bob Gonzalez

SIXTY-FOUR
What lies still is easy to hold. What has not emerged is easy to handle.
What is brittle is easily shattered. What is little is easily scattered.
Confront the issue before it appears. Organize before chaos grows.
A tree one can embrace grows from a tiny sprig.
A nine-tiered tower begins as a mound of earth.
A journey of a thousand miles begins where you stand.
To act is to ruin; to grasp is to lose.
Therefore the sage does no act and therefore ruins nothing,
reaches for nothing and therefore loses nothing.
People often fail just on the verge of success.
But if one is as careful at the end as at the beginning, failure fails.
Therefore the sage desires desirelessness, does not value rare goods, learns by unlearning,
leads people back to what they missed by allowing all things to be what they are,
not by interfering.

SIXTY-FIVE
Ancient leaders who pursued the Way
did not burden the people with complicated instruction,
but guided them with simplicity.
People are difficult to rule when they are too clever, too full of useless knowledge.
So, ruling by intellect afflicts the nation but ruling by simplicity benefits the nation.
If you know the difference between these two ways of ruling, you possess a time-tested guide.
To follow this guide is called "subtle vigor." Subtle vigor is deep and fundamental.
It is the ability to return to the Source of Primal Harmony.

SIXTY-SIX
Rivers and seas are king of a hundred valleys because they remain below them.
Hence, they are king of a hundred valleys.
Thus, in order to be above people, describe yourself as supporting them.
In order to lead people, stand behind them.
The sages, when above people, are no burden on them. When in the lead, do no harm.
The world joyously, tirelessly, praises them.
Because they do not compete, the world cannot compete with them.

SIXTY-SEVEN
Everyone tells me that my Way is vast and unlike anything else.
It is vast precisely because it is unlike anything else.
If it was like anything else, it would long ago have become small.
I have three treasures which I protect and nurture.
The first is pure love, the second is self-discipline,
the third is daring not to get ahead in the world.
From pure love comes the ability to conquer fear.
From self-discipline comes ability to benefit others.
From daring not to get ahead in the world comes ability to lead the world.
To attempt to conquer fear without pure love,
to attempt to benefit others without self-discipline,
or to attempt to lead the world
while trying to get ahead in the world is sheer suicide.
Pure love is the mightiest sword and the strongest shield.
Heaven fortifies with pure love the one whose life it would save.

SIXTY-EIGHT
A skillful warrior is not imposing.
A skillful fighter does not become angry.
A skillful employer humbles himself.
This is called "the excellence of not competing."
This is called "the strength to employ people."
This is called "matching the ancient principle of Heaven."

SIXTY-NINE
The strategist says,
"I dare not take the offensive but rather the defensive.
I dare not advance an inch but rather retreat a foot."
That is to say,
"I march without moving.
I roll up my sleeve without baring my arm.
I stand off without attacking.
I carry weapons without being armed.
The greatest mistake is underestimating the enemy.
Doing so could cost my treasures."
Thus, when two sides take up arms against one another,
the reluctant one will win.

SEVENTY
My sayings are very easy to understand and very simple to put into practice.
But no one in the world can understand or practice them.
My words have an origin; my deeds have a mentor.
Because people do not understand these, they do not understand me.
Few people understand me and therefore I stand out.
Thus, the sage wears plain clothes and carries a jade heart.

SEVENTY-ONE
To know what you do not know is wellness.
To think you know what you do not know is sickness.
When you are sick of sickness you will not be sick.
Sages are not sick because they are sick of sickness.
That is why they are not sick.

SEVENTY-TWO
If people do not fear power, then greater power will come down on them.
Do not narrow their environment. Do not oppress their lives.
Only when they are not oppressed will they cease to be restless.
Therefore sages know themselves but do not show themselves,
love themselves but do not exalt themselves.
They accept the one and reject the other.

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English Version by Bob Gonzalez

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Dao De Jing