Stephen Mitchell's translation which is free on the internet is unpretentious and to the point. I grew up in Missouri and this is a picture of the St. Francis River
1The tao that can be toldis not the eternal TaoThe name that can be namedis not the eternal Name.The unnamable is the eternally real.Naming is the originof all particular things.Free from desire, you realize the mystery.Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.Yet mystery and manifestationsarise from the same source.This source is called darkness.Darkness within darkness.The gateway to all understanding.
2When people see some things as beautiful,other things become ugly.When people see some things as good,other things become bad.Being and non-being create each other.Difficult and easy support each other.Long and short define each other.High and low depend on each other.Before and after follow each other.Therefore the Masteracts without doing anythingand teaches without saying anything.Things arise and she lets them come;things disappear and she lets them go.She has but doesn't possess,acts but doesn't expect.When her work is done, she forgets it.That is why it lasts forever.
3If you overesteem great men,people become powerless.If you overvalue possessions,people begin to steal.The Master leadsby emptying people's mindsand filling their cores,by weakening their ambitionand toughening their resolve.He helps people lose everythingthey know, everything they desire,and creates confusionin those who think that they know.Practice not-doing,and everything will fall into place.
4The Tao is like a well:used but never used up.It is like the eternal void:filled with infinite possibilities.It is hidden but always present.I don't know who gave birth to it.It is older than God.
5The Tao doesn't take sides;it gives birth to both good and evil.The Master doesn't take sides;she welcomes both saints and sinners.The Tao is like a bellows:it is empty yet infinitely capable.The more you use it, the more it produces;the more you talk of it, the less you understand.Hold on to the center.
6The Tao is called the Great Mother:empty yet inexhaustible,it gives birth to infinite worlds.It is always present within you.You can use it any way you want.
7The Tao is infinite, eternal.Why is it eternal?It was never born;thus it can never die.Why is it infinite?It has no desires for itself;thus it is present for all beings.The Master stays behind;that is why she is ahead.She is detached from all things;that is why she is one with them.Because she has let go of herself,she is perfectly fulfilled.
8The supreme good is like water,which nourishes all things without trying to.It is content with the low places that people disdain.Thus it is like the Tao.In dwelling, live close to the ground.In thinking, keep to the simple.In conflict, be fair and generous.In governing, don't try to control.In work, do what you enjoy.In family life, be completely present.When you are content to be simply yourselfand don't compare or compete,everybody will respect you.
9Fill your bowl to the brimand it will spill.Keep sharpening your knifeand it will blunt.Chase after money and securityand your heart will never unclench.Care about people's approvaland you will be their prisoner.Do your work, then step back.The only path to serenity.
10Can you coax your mind from its wanderingand keep to the original oneness?Can you let your body becomesupple as a newborn child's?Can you cleanse your inner visionuntil you see nothing but the light?Can you love people and lead themwithout imposing your will?Can you deal with the most vital mattersby letting events take their course?Can you step back from you own mindand thus understand all things?Giving birth and nourishing,having without possessing,acting with no expectations,leading and not trying to control:this is the supreme virtue.
11We join spokes together in a wheel,but it is the center holethat makes the wagon move.We shape clay into a pot,but it is the emptiness insidethat holds whatever we want.We hammer wood for a house,but it is the inner spacethat makes it livable.We work with being,but non-being is what we use.
12Colors blind the eye.Sounds deafen the ear.Flavors numb the taste.Thoughts weaken the mind.Desires wither the heart.The Master observes the worldbut trusts his inner vision.He allows things to come and go.His heart is open as the sky.
13Success is as dangerous as failure.Hope is as hollow as fear.What does it mean that success is a dangerous as failure?Whether you go up the ladder or down it,you position is shaky.When you stand with your two feet on the ground,you will always keep your balance.What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?Hope and fear are both phantomsthat arise from thinking of the self.When we don't see the self as self,what do we have to fear?See the world as your self.Have faith in the way things are.Love the world as your self;then you can care for all things.
14Look, and it can't be seen.Listen, and it can't be heard.Reach, and it can't be grasped.Above, it isn't bright.Below, it isn't dark.Seamless, unnamable,it returns to the realm of nothing.Form that includes all forms,image without an image,subtle, beyond all conception.Approach it and there is no beginning;follow it and there is no end.You can't know it, but you can be it,at ease in your own life.Just realize where you come from:this is the essence of wisdom.
15The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.Their wisdom was unfathomable.There is no way to describe it;all we can describe is their appearance.They were carefulas someone crossing an iced-over stream.Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.Courteous as a guest.Fluid as melting ice.Shapable as a block of wood.Receptive as a valley.Clear as a glass of water.Do you have the patience to waittill your mud settles and the water is clear?Can you remain unmovingtill the right action arises by itself?The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.Not seeking, not expecting,she is present, and can welcome all things.
16Empty your mind of all thoughts.Let your heart be at peace.Watch the turmoil of beings,but contemplate their return.Each separate being in the universereturns to the common source.Returning to the source is serenity.If you don't realize the source,you stumble in confusion and sorrow.When you realize where you come from,you naturally become tolerant,disinterested, amused,kindhearted as a grandmother,dignified as a king.Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,you can deal with whatever life brings you,and when death comes, you are ready.
17When the Master governs, the peopleare hardly aware that he exists.Next best is a leader who is loved.Next, one who is feared.The worst is one who is despised.If you don't trust the people,you make them untrustworthy.The Master doesn't talk, he acts.When his work is done,the people say, "Amazing:we did it, all by ourselves!"
18When the great Tao is forgotten,goodness and piety appear.When the body's intelligence declines,cleverness and knowledge step forth.When there is no peace in the family,filial piety begins.When the country falls into chaos,patriotism is born.
19Throw away holiness and wisdom,and people will be a hundred times happier.Throw away morality and justice,and people will do the right thing.Throw away industry and profit,and there won't be any thieves.If these three aren't enough,just stay at the center of the circleand let all things take their course.
20Stop thinking, and end your problems.What difference between yes and no?What difference between success and failure?Must you value what others value,avoid what others avoid?How ridiculous!Other people are excited,as though they were at a parade.I alone don't care,I alone am expressionless,like an infant before it can smile.Other people have what they need;I alone possess nothing.I alone drift about,like someone without a home.I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty.Other people are bright;I alone am dark.Other people are sharper;I alone am dull.Other people have a purpose;I alone don't know.I drift like a wave on the ocean,I blow as aimless as the wind.I am different from ordinary people.I drink from the Great Mother's breasts.
21The Master keeps her mindalways at one with the Tao;that is what gives her her radiance.The Tao is ungraspable.How can her mind be at one with it?Because she doesn't cling to ideas.The Tao is dark and unfathomable.How can it make her radiant?Because she lets it.Since before time and space were,the Tao is.It is beyond is and is not.How do I know this is true?I look inside myself and see.
22If you want to become whole,let yourself be partial.If you want to become straight,let yourself be crooked.If you want to become full,let yourself be empty.If you want to be reborn,let yourself die.If you want to be given everything,give everything up.The Master, by residing in the Tao,sets an example for all beings.Because he doesn't display himself,people can see his light.Because he has nothing to prove,people can trust his words.Because he doesn't know who he is,people recognize themselves in him.Because he has no goad in mind,everything he does succeeds.When the ancient Masters said,"If you want to be given everything,give everything up,"they weren't using empty phrases.Only in being lived by the Tao can you be truly yourself.
23Express yourself completely,then keep quiet.Be like the forces of nature:when it blows, there is only wind;when it rains, there is only rain;when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.If you open yourself to the Tao,you are at one with the Taoand you can embody it completely.If you open yourself to insight,you are at one with insightand you can use it completely.If you open yourself to loss,you are at one with lossand you can accept it completely.Open yourself to the Tao,then trust your natural responses;and everything will fall into place.
24He who stands on tiptoedoesn't stand form.He who rushes aheaddoesn't go far.He who tries to shinedims his own light.He who defines himselfcan't know who he really is.He who has power over otherscan't empower himself.He who clings to his workwill create nothing that endures.If you want to accord with the Tao,just do your job, then let go.
25There was something formless and perfectbefore the universe was born.It is serene. Empty.Solitary. Unchanging.Infinite. Eternally present.It is the mother of the universe.For lack of a better name,I call it the Tao.It flows through all things,inside and outside, and returnsto the origin of all things.The Tao is great.The universe is great.Earth is great.Man is great.These are the four great powers.Man follows the earth.Earth follows the universe.The universe follows the Tao.The Tao follows only itself.
26The heavy is the root of the light.The unmoved is the source of all movement.Thus the Master travels all daywithout leaving home.However splendid the views,she stays serenely in herself.Why should the lord of the countryflit about like a fool?If you let yourself be blown to and fro,you lose touch with your root.If you let restlessness move you,you lose touch with who you are.
27A good traveler has no fixed plansand is not intent upon arriving.A good artist lets his intuitionlead him wherever it wants.A good scientist has freed himself of conceptsand keeps his mind open to what is.Thus the Master is available to all peopleand doesn't reject anyone.He is ready to use all situationsand doesn't waste anything.This is called embodying the light.What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?What is a bad man but a good man's job?If you don't understand this, you will get lost,however intelligent you are.It is the great secret.
28Know the male,yet keep to the female:receive the world in your arms.If you receive the world,the Tao will never leave youand you will be like a little child.Know the white,yet keep to the black:be a pattern for the world.If you are a pattern for the world,the Tao will be strong inside youand there will be nothing you can't do.Know the personal,yet keep to the impersonal:accept the world as it is.If you accept the world,the Tao will be luminous inside youand you will return to your primal self.The world is formed from the void,like utensils from a block of wood.The Master knows the utensils,yet keeps to the the block:thus she can use all things.
29Do you want to improve the world?I don't think it can be done.The world is sacred.It can't be improved.If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.There is a time for being ahead,a time for being behind;a time for being in motion,a time for being at rest;a time for being vigorous,a time for being exhausted;a time for being safe,a time for being in danger.The Master sees things as they are,without trying to control them.She lets them go their own way,and resides at the center of the circle.
30Whoever relies on the Tao in governing mendoesn't try to force issuesor defeat enemies by force of arms.For every force there is a counterforce.Violence, even well intentioned,always rebounds upon oneself.The Master does his joband then stops.He understands that the universeis forever out of control,and that trying to dominate eventsgoes against the current of the Tao.Because he believes in himself,he doesn't try to convince others.Because he is content with himself,he doesn't need others' approval.Because he accepts himself,the whole world accepts him.
31Weapons are the tools of violence;all decent men detest them.Weapons are the tools of fear;a decent man will avoid themexcept in the direst necessityand, if compelled, will use themonly with the utmost restraint.Peace is his highest value.If the peace has been shattered,how can he be content?His enemies are not demons,but human beings like himself.He doesn't wish them personal harm.Nor does he rejoice in victory.How could he rejoice in victoryand delight in the slaughter of men?He enters a battle gravely,with sorrow and with great compassion,as if he were attending a funeral.
32The Tao can't be perceived.Smaller than an electron,it contains uncountable galaxies.If powerful men and womencould remain centered in the Tao,all things would be in harmony.The world would become a paradise.All people would be at peace,and the law would be written in their hearts.When you have names and forms,know that they are provisional.When you have institutions,know where their functions should end.Knowing when to stop,you can avoid any danger.All things end in the Taoas rivers flow into the sea.
33Knowing others is intelligence;knowing yourself is true wisdom.Mastering others is strength;mastering yourself is true power.If you realize that you have enough,you are truly rich.If you stay in the centerand embrace death with your whole heart,you will endure forever.
34The great Tao flows everywhere.All things are born from it,yet it doesn't create them.It pours itself into its work,yet it makes no claim.It nourishes infinite worlds,yet it doesn't hold on to them.Since it is merged with all thingsand hidden in their hearts,it can be called humble.Since all things vanish into itand it alone endures,it can be called great.It isn't aware of its greatness;thus it is truly great.
35She who is centered in the Taocan go where she wishes, without danger.She perceives the universal harmony,even amid great pain,because she has found peace in her heart.Music or the smell of good cookingmay make people stop and enjoy.But words that point to the Taoseem monotonous and without flavor.When you look for it, there is nothing to see.When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear.When you use it, it is inexhaustible.
36If you want to shrink something,you must first allow it to expand.If you want to get rid of something,you must first allow it to flourish.If you want to take something,you must first allow it to be given.This is called the subtle perceptionof the way things are.The soft overcomes the hard.The slow overcomes the fast.Let your workings remain a mystery.Just show people the results.
37The Tao never does anything,yet through it all things are done.If powerful men and womencould venter themselves in it,the whole world would be transformedby itself, in its natural rhythms.People would be contentwith their simple, everyday lives,in harmony, and free of desire.When there is no desire,all things are at peace.
38The Master doesn't try to be powerful;thus he is truly powerful.The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;thus he never has enough.The Master does nothing,yet he leaves nothing undone.The ordinary man is always doing things,yet many more are left to be done.The kind man does something,yet something remains undone.The just man does something,and leaves many things to be done.The moral man does something,and when no one respondshe rolls up his sleeves and uses force.When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.When goodness is lost, there is morality.When morality is lost, there is ritual.Ritual is the husk of true faith,the beginning of chaos.Therefore the Master concerns himselfwith the depths and not the surface,with the fruit and not the flower.He has no will of his own.He dwells in reality,and lets all illusions go.
39In harmony with the Tao,the sky is clear and spacious,the earth is solid and full,all creature flourish together,content with the way they are,endlessly repeating themselves,endlessly renewed.When man interferes with the Tao,the sky becomes filthy,the earth becomes depleted,the equilibrium crumbles,creatures become extinct.The Master views the parts with compassion,because he understands the whole.His constant practice is humility.He doesn't glitter like a jewelbut lets himself be shaped by the Tao,as rugged and common as stone.
40Return is the movement of the Tao.Yielding is the way of the Tao.All things are born of being.Being is born of non-being.
41When a superior man hears of the Tao,he immediately begins to embody it.When an average man hears of the Tao,he half believes it, half doubts it.When a foolish man hears of the Tao,he laughs out loud.If he didn't laugh,it wouldn't be the Tao.Thus it is said:The path into the light seems dark,the path forward seems to go back,the direct path seems long,true power seems weak,true purity seems tarnished,true steadfastness seems changeable,true clarity seems obscure,the greatest are seems unsophisticated,the greatest love seems indifferent,the greatest wisdom seems childish.The Tao is nowhere to be found.Yet it nourishes and completes all things.
42The Tao gives birth to One.One gives birth to Two.Two gives birth to Three.Three gives birth to all things.All things have their backs to the femaleand stand facing the male.When male and female combine,all things achieve harmony.Ordinary men hate solitude.But the Master makes use of it,embracing his aloneness, realizinghe is one with the whole universe.
43The gentlest thing in the worldovercomes the hardest thing in the world.That which has no substanceenters where there is no space.This shows the value of non-action.Teaching without words,performing without actions:that is the Master's way.
44Fame or integrity: which is more important?Money or happiness: which is more valuable?Success of failure: which is more destructive?If you look to others for fulfillment,you will never truly be fulfilled.If your happiness depends on money,you will never be happy with yourself.Be content with what you have;rejoice in the way things are.When you realize there is nothing lacking,the whole world belongs to you.
45True perfection seems imperfect,yet it is perfectly itself.True fullness seems empty,yet it is fully present.True straightness seems crooked.True wisdom seems foolish.True art seems artless.The Master allows things to happen.She shapes events as they come.She steps out of the wayand lets the Tao speak for itself.
46When a country is in harmony with the Tao,the factories make trucks and tractors.When a country goes counter to the Tao,warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.There is no greater illusion than fear,no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,no greater misfortune than having an enemy.Whoever can see through all fearwill always be safe.
47Without opening your door,you can open your heart to the world.Without looking out your window,you can see the essence of the Tao.The more you know,the less you understand.The Master arrives without leaving,sees the light without looking,achieves without doing a thing.
48In pursuit of knowledge,every day something is added.In the practice of the Tao,every day something is dropped.Less and less do you need to force things,until finally you arrive at non-action.When nothing is done,nothing is left undone.True mastery can be gainedby letting things go their own way.It can't be gained by interfering.
49The Master has no mind of her own.She works with the mind of the people.She is good to people who are good.She is also good to people who aren't good.This is true goodness.She trusts people who are trustworthy.She also trusts people who aren't trustworthy.This is true trust.The Master's mind is like space.People don't understand her.They look to her and wait.She treats them like her own children.
50The Master gives himself upto whatever the moment brings.He knows that he is going to die,and her has nothing left to hold on to:no illusions in his mind,no resistances in his body.He doesn't think about his actions;they flow from the core of his being.He holds nothing back from life;therefore he is ready for death,as a man is ready for sleepafter a good day's work.
51Every being in the universeis an expression of the Tao.It springs into existence,unconscious, perfect, free,takes on a physical body,lets circumstances complete it.That is why every beingspontaneously honors the Tao.The Tao gives birth to all beings,nourishes them, maintains them,cares for them, comforts them, protects them,takes them back to itself,creating without possessing,acting without expecting,guiding without interfering.That is why love of the Taois in the very nature of things.
52In the beginning was the Tao.All things issue from it;all things return to it.To find the origin,trace back the manifestations.When you recognize the childrenand find the mother,you will be free of sorrow.If you close your mind in judgementsand traffic with desires,your heart will be troubled.If you keep your mind from judgingand aren't led by the senses,your heart will find peace.Seeing into darkness is clarity.Knowing how to yield is strength.Use your own lightand return to the source of light.This is called practicing eternity.
2When people see some things as beautiful,other things become ugly.When people see some things as good,other things become bad.Being and non-being create each other.Difficult and easy support each other.Long and short define each other.High and low depend on each other.Before and after follow each other.Therefore the Masteracts without doing anythingand teaches without saying anything.Things arise and she lets them come;things disappear and she lets them go.She has but doesn't possess,acts but doesn't expect.When her work is done, she forgets it.That is why it lasts forever.
3If you overesteem great men,people become powerless.If you overvalue possessions,people begin to steal.The Master leadsby emptying people's mindsand filling their cores,by weakening their ambitionand toughening their resolve.He helps people lose everythingthey know, everything they desire,and creates confusionin those who think that they know.Practice not-doing,and everything will fall into place.
4The Tao is like a well:used but never used up.It is like the eternal void:filled with infinite possibilities.It is hidden but always present.I don't know who gave birth to it.It is older than God.
5The Tao doesn't take sides;it gives birth to both good and evil.The Master doesn't take sides;she welcomes both saints and sinners.The Tao is like a bellows:it is empty yet infinitely capable.The more you use it, the more it produces;the more you talk of it, the less you understand.Hold on to the center.
6The Tao is called the Great Mother:empty yet inexhaustible,it gives birth to infinite worlds.It is always present within you.You can use it any way you want.
7The Tao is infinite, eternal.Why is it eternal?It was never born;thus it can never die.Why is it infinite?It has no desires for itself;thus it is present for all beings.The Master stays behind;that is why she is ahead.She is detached from all things;that is why she is one with them.Because she has let go of herself,she is perfectly fulfilled.
8The supreme good is like water,which nourishes all things without trying to.It is content with the low places that people disdain.Thus it is like the Tao.In dwelling, live close to the ground.In thinking, keep to the simple.In conflict, be fair and generous.In governing, don't try to control.In work, do what you enjoy.In family life, be completely present.When you are content to be simply yourselfand don't compare or compete,everybody will respect you.
9Fill your bowl to the brimand it will spill.Keep sharpening your knifeand it will blunt.Chase after money and securityand your heart will never unclench.Care about people's approvaland you will be their prisoner.Do your work, then step back.The only path to serenity.
10Can you coax your mind from its wanderingand keep to the original oneness?Can you let your body becomesupple as a newborn child's?Can you cleanse your inner visionuntil you see nothing but the light?Can you love people and lead themwithout imposing your will?Can you deal with the most vital mattersby letting events take their course?Can you step back from you own mindand thus understand all things?Giving birth and nourishing,having without possessing,acting with no expectations,leading and not trying to control:this is the supreme virtue.
11We join spokes together in a wheel,but it is the center holethat makes the wagon move.We shape clay into a pot,but it is the emptiness insidethat holds whatever we want.We hammer wood for a house,but it is the inner spacethat makes it livable.We work with being,but non-being is what we use.
12Colors blind the eye.Sounds deafen the ear.Flavors numb the taste.Thoughts weaken the mind.Desires wither the heart.The Master observes the worldbut trusts his inner vision.He allows things to come and go.His heart is open as the sky.
13Success is as dangerous as failure.Hope is as hollow as fear.What does it mean that success is a dangerous as failure?Whether you go up the ladder or down it,you position is shaky.When you stand with your two feet on the ground,you will always keep your balance.What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?Hope and fear are both phantomsthat arise from thinking of the self.When we don't see the self as self,what do we have to fear?See the world as your self.Have faith in the way things are.Love the world as your self;then you can care for all things.
14Look, and it can't be seen.Listen, and it can't be heard.Reach, and it can't be grasped.Above, it isn't bright.Below, it isn't dark.Seamless, unnamable,it returns to the realm of nothing.Form that includes all forms,image without an image,subtle, beyond all conception.Approach it and there is no beginning;follow it and there is no end.You can't know it, but you can be it,at ease in your own life.Just realize where you come from:this is the essence of wisdom.
15The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.Their wisdom was unfathomable.There is no way to describe it;all we can describe is their appearance.They were carefulas someone crossing an iced-over stream.Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.Courteous as a guest.Fluid as melting ice.Shapable as a block of wood.Receptive as a valley.Clear as a glass of water.Do you have the patience to waittill your mud settles and the water is clear?Can you remain unmovingtill the right action arises by itself?The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.Not seeking, not expecting,she is present, and can welcome all things.
16Empty your mind of all thoughts.Let your heart be at peace.Watch the turmoil of beings,but contemplate their return.Each separate being in the universereturns to the common source.Returning to the source is serenity.If you don't realize the source,you stumble in confusion and sorrow.When you realize where you come from,you naturally become tolerant,disinterested, amused,kindhearted as a grandmother,dignified as a king.Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,you can deal with whatever life brings you,and when death comes, you are ready.
17When the Master governs, the peopleare hardly aware that he exists.Next best is a leader who is loved.Next, one who is feared.The worst is one who is despised.If you don't trust the people,you make them untrustworthy.The Master doesn't talk, he acts.When his work is done,the people say, "Amazing:we did it, all by ourselves!"
18When the great Tao is forgotten,goodness and piety appear.When the body's intelligence declines,cleverness and knowledge step forth.When there is no peace in the family,filial piety begins.When the country falls into chaos,patriotism is born.
19Throw away holiness and wisdom,and people will be a hundred times happier.Throw away morality and justice,and people will do the right thing.Throw away industry and profit,and there won't be any thieves.If these three aren't enough,just stay at the center of the circleand let all things take their course.
20Stop thinking, and end your problems.What difference between yes and no?What difference between success and failure?Must you value what others value,avoid what others avoid?How ridiculous!Other people are excited,as though they were at a parade.I alone don't care,I alone am expressionless,like an infant before it can smile.Other people have what they need;I alone possess nothing.I alone drift about,like someone without a home.I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty.Other people are bright;I alone am dark.Other people are sharper;I alone am dull.Other people have a purpose;I alone don't know.I drift like a wave on the ocean,I blow as aimless as the wind.I am different from ordinary people.I drink from the Great Mother's breasts.
21The Master keeps her mindalways at one with the Tao;that is what gives her her radiance.The Tao is ungraspable.How can her mind be at one with it?Because she doesn't cling to ideas.The Tao is dark and unfathomable.How can it make her radiant?Because she lets it.Since before time and space were,the Tao is.It is beyond is and is not.How do I know this is true?I look inside myself and see.
22If you want to become whole,let yourself be partial.If you want to become straight,let yourself be crooked.If you want to become full,let yourself be empty.If you want to be reborn,let yourself die.If you want to be given everything,give everything up.The Master, by residing in the Tao,sets an example for all beings.Because he doesn't display himself,people can see his light.Because he has nothing to prove,people can trust his words.Because he doesn't know who he is,people recognize themselves in him.Because he has no goad in mind,everything he does succeeds.When the ancient Masters said,"If you want to be given everything,give everything up,"they weren't using empty phrases.Only in being lived by the Tao can you be truly yourself.
23Express yourself completely,then keep quiet.Be like the forces of nature:when it blows, there is only wind;when it rains, there is only rain;when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.If you open yourself to the Tao,you are at one with the Taoand you can embody it completely.If you open yourself to insight,you are at one with insightand you can use it completely.If you open yourself to loss,you are at one with lossand you can accept it completely.Open yourself to the Tao,then trust your natural responses;and everything will fall into place.
24He who stands on tiptoedoesn't stand form.He who rushes aheaddoesn't go far.He who tries to shinedims his own light.He who defines himselfcan't know who he really is.He who has power over otherscan't empower himself.He who clings to his workwill create nothing that endures.If you want to accord with the Tao,just do your job, then let go.
25There was something formless and perfectbefore the universe was born.It is serene. Empty.Solitary. Unchanging.Infinite. Eternally present.It is the mother of the universe.For lack of a better name,I call it the Tao.It flows through all things,inside and outside, and returnsto the origin of all things.The Tao is great.The universe is great.Earth is great.Man is great.These are the four great powers.Man follows the earth.Earth follows the universe.The universe follows the Tao.The Tao follows only itself.
26The heavy is the root of the light.The unmoved is the source of all movement.Thus the Master travels all daywithout leaving home.However splendid the views,she stays serenely in herself.Why should the lord of the countryflit about like a fool?If you let yourself be blown to and fro,you lose touch with your root.If you let restlessness move you,you lose touch with who you are.
27A good traveler has no fixed plansand is not intent upon arriving.A good artist lets his intuitionlead him wherever it wants.A good scientist has freed himself of conceptsand keeps his mind open to what is.Thus the Master is available to all peopleand doesn't reject anyone.He is ready to use all situationsand doesn't waste anything.This is called embodying the light.What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?What is a bad man but a good man's job?If you don't understand this, you will get lost,however intelligent you are.It is the great secret.
28Know the male,yet keep to the female:receive the world in your arms.If you receive the world,the Tao will never leave youand you will be like a little child.Know the white,yet keep to the black:be a pattern for the world.If you are a pattern for the world,the Tao will be strong inside youand there will be nothing you can't do.Know the personal,yet keep to the impersonal:accept the world as it is.If you accept the world,the Tao will be luminous inside youand you will return to your primal self.The world is formed from the void,like utensils from a block of wood.The Master knows the utensils,yet keeps to the the block:thus she can use all things.
29Do you want to improve the world?I don't think it can be done.The world is sacred.It can't be improved.If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.If you treat it like an object, you'll lose it.There is a time for being ahead,a time for being behind;a time for being in motion,a time for being at rest;a time for being vigorous,a time for being exhausted;a time for being safe,a time for being in danger.The Master sees things as they are,without trying to control them.She lets them go their own way,and resides at the center of the circle.
30Whoever relies on the Tao in governing mendoesn't try to force issuesor defeat enemies by force of arms.For every force there is a counterforce.Violence, even well intentioned,always rebounds upon oneself.The Master does his joband then stops.He understands that the universeis forever out of control,and that trying to dominate eventsgoes against the current of the Tao.Because he believes in himself,he doesn't try to convince others.Because he is content with himself,he doesn't need others' approval.Because he accepts himself,the whole world accepts him.
31Weapons are the tools of violence;all decent men detest them.Weapons are the tools of fear;a decent man will avoid themexcept in the direst necessityand, if compelled, will use themonly with the utmost restraint.Peace is his highest value.If the peace has been shattered,how can he be content?His enemies are not demons,but human beings like himself.He doesn't wish them personal harm.Nor does he rejoice in victory.How could he rejoice in victoryand delight in the slaughter of men?He enters a battle gravely,with sorrow and with great compassion,as if he were attending a funeral.
32The Tao can't be perceived.Smaller than an electron,it contains uncountable galaxies.If powerful men and womencould remain centered in the Tao,all things would be in harmony.The world would become a paradise.All people would be at peace,and the law would be written in their hearts.When you have names and forms,know that they are provisional.When you have institutions,know where their functions should end.Knowing when to stop,you can avoid any danger.All things end in the Taoas rivers flow into the sea.
33Knowing others is intelligence;knowing yourself is true wisdom.Mastering others is strength;mastering yourself is true power.If you realize that you have enough,you are truly rich.If you stay in the centerand embrace death with your whole heart,you will endure forever.
34The great Tao flows everywhere.All things are born from it,yet it doesn't create them.It pours itself into its work,yet it makes no claim.It nourishes infinite worlds,yet it doesn't hold on to them.Since it is merged with all thingsand hidden in their hearts,it can be called humble.Since all things vanish into itand it alone endures,it can be called great.It isn't aware of its greatness;thus it is truly great.
35She who is centered in the Taocan go where she wishes, without danger.She perceives the universal harmony,even amid great pain,because she has found peace in her heart.Music or the smell of good cookingmay make people stop and enjoy.But words that point to the Taoseem monotonous and without flavor.When you look for it, there is nothing to see.When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear.When you use it, it is inexhaustible.
36If you want to shrink something,you must first allow it to expand.If you want to get rid of something,you must first allow it to flourish.If you want to take something,you must first allow it to be given.This is called the subtle perceptionof the way things are.The soft overcomes the hard.The slow overcomes the fast.Let your workings remain a mystery.Just show people the results.
37The Tao never does anything,yet through it all things are done.If powerful men and womencould venter themselves in it,the whole world would be transformedby itself, in its natural rhythms.People would be contentwith their simple, everyday lives,in harmony, and free of desire.When there is no desire,all things are at peace.
38The Master doesn't try to be powerful;thus he is truly powerful.The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;thus he never has enough.The Master does nothing,yet he leaves nothing undone.The ordinary man is always doing things,yet many more are left to be done.The kind man does something,yet something remains undone.The just man does something,and leaves many things to be done.The moral man does something,and when no one respondshe rolls up his sleeves and uses force.When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.When goodness is lost, there is morality.When morality is lost, there is ritual.Ritual is the husk of true faith,the beginning of chaos.Therefore the Master concerns himselfwith the depths and not the surface,with the fruit and not the flower.He has no will of his own.He dwells in reality,and lets all illusions go.
39In harmony with the Tao,the sky is clear and spacious,the earth is solid and full,all creature flourish together,content with the way they are,endlessly repeating themselves,endlessly renewed.When man interferes with the Tao,the sky becomes filthy,the earth becomes depleted,the equilibrium crumbles,creatures become extinct.The Master views the parts with compassion,because he understands the whole.His constant practice is humility.He doesn't glitter like a jewelbut lets himself be shaped by the Tao,as rugged and common as stone.
40Return is the movement of the Tao.Yielding is the way of the Tao.All things are born of being.Being is born of non-being.
41When a superior man hears of the Tao,he immediately begins to embody it.When an average man hears of the Tao,he half believes it, half doubts it.When a foolish man hears of the Tao,he laughs out loud.If he didn't laugh,it wouldn't be the Tao.Thus it is said:The path into the light seems dark,the path forward seems to go back,the direct path seems long,true power seems weak,true purity seems tarnished,true steadfastness seems changeable,true clarity seems obscure,the greatest are seems unsophisticated,the greatest love seems indifferent,the greatest wisdom seems childish.The Tao is nowhere to be found.Yet it nourishes and completes all things.
42The Tao gives birth to One.One gives birth to Two.Two gives birth to Three.Three gives birth to all things.All things have their backs to the femaleand stand facing the male.When male and female combine,all things achieve harmony.Ordinary men hate solitude.But the Master makes use of it,embracing his aloneness, realizinghe is one with the whole universe.
43The gentlest thing in the worldovercomes the hardest thing in the world.That which has no substanceenters where there is no space.This shows the value of non-action.Teaching without words,performing without actions:that is the Master's way.
44Fame or integrity: which is more important?Money or happiness: which is more valuable?Success of failure: which is more destructive?If you look to others for fulfillment,you will never truly be fulfilled.If your happiness depends on money,you will never be happy with yourself.Be content with what you have;rejoice in the way things are.When you realize there is nothing lacking,the whole world belongs to you.
45True perfection seems imperfect,yet it is perfectly itself.True fullness seems empty,yet it is fully present.True straightness seems crooked.True wisdom seems foolish.True art seems artless.The Master allows things to happen.She shapes events as they come.She steps out of the wayand lets the Tao speak for itself.
46When a country is in harmony with the Tao,the factories make trucks and tractors.When a country goes counter to the Tao,warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.There is no greater illusion than fear,no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,no greater misfortune than having an enemy.Whoever can see through all fearwill always be safe.
47Without opening your door,you can open your heart to the world.Without looking out your window,you can see the essence of the Tao.The more you know,the less you understand.The Master arrives without leaving,sees the light without looking,achieves without doing a thing.
48In pursuit of knowledge,every day something is added.In the practice of the Tao,every day something is dropped.Less and less do you need to force things,until finally you arrive at non-action.When nothing is done,nothing is left undone.True mastery can be gainedby letting things go their own way.It can't be gained by interfering.
49The Master has no mind of her own.She works with the mind of the people.She is good to people who are good.She is also good to people who aren't good.This is true goodness.She trusts people who are trustworthy.She also trusts people who aren't trustworthy.This is true trust.The Master's mind is like space.People don't understand her.They look to her and wait.She treats them like her own children.
50The Master gives himself upto whatever the moment brings.He knows that he is going to die,and her has nothing left to hold on to:no illusions in his mind,no resistances in his body.He doesn't think about his actions;they flow from the core of his being.He holds nothing back from life;therefore he is ready for death,as a man is ready for sleepafter a good day's work.
51Every being in the universeis an expression of the Tao.It springs into existence,unconscious, perfect, free,takes on a physical body,lets circumstances complete it.That is why every beingspontaneously honors the Tao.The Tao gives birth to all beings,nourishes them, maintains them,cares for them, comforts them, protects them,takes them back to itself,creating without possessing,acting without expecting,guiding without interfering.That is why love of the Taois in the very nature of things.
52In the beginning was the Tao.All things issue from it;all things return to it.To find the origin,trace back the manifestations.When you recognize the childrenand find the mother,you will be free of sorrow.If you close your mind in judgementsand traffic with desires,your heart will be troubled.If you keep your mind from judgingand aren't led by the senses,your heart will find peace.Seeing into darkness is clarity.Knowing how to yield is strength.Use your own lightand return to the source of light.This is called practicing eternity.
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