Consider the Insignificant, Don't Cling, The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Begins with a Single Step,
Remain Careful to the End, Great Things Have Humble Beginnings, Guard the
Minute,
守微
"When sitting still, they are easy to hold down
No omens yet, it is easy to plan
When fragile, they are easy to break
When small, they are easy to scatter.
Work on it when it isn't yet
Put it in order when it is not yet disordered.
A tree you can barely get your arms around grows from a tiny shoot
A nine-story tower begins as a heap of earth
A thousand mile journey begins under your feet.
Working ruins, grasping loses.
The wise person does not work, so does not ruin
Does not grasp, so does not lose.
'When the people are engaged in some task,
They are always on the point of finishing when they ruin it.'
Careful at the end just as at the beginning,
Then there will be no ruining of the work.
The wise person desires to be desireless
Does not prize goods hard to come by
Learns to be un-learned
Turns back to the place all others have gone on from.
So as to help the naturalness
Of the thousands of things
Without presuming to be a worker."
- Translated by
Michael
LaFargue, 1992, Chapter 64
"It is easy to sustain what is at rest.
It is easy to plan for that of which there is not even a sign.
What is fragile is easily broken.
What is minute is easily dispersed.
Act upon it before it exists.
Regulate it before it becomes chaos.
A massive tree grows from a little sprout.
A nine-story building rises from a clod of earth.
A thousand fathoms begin with a single step.
Those who impose action upon it will fail.
Thos who cling to it will loose it.
So the sage, through non-action, does not fail.
Not clinging, he does not lose.
The common people's engagement in affairs fails prior to success.
So the saying goes,
"give as much careful attention to the end as to the beginning: then the affairs
will not fail"
It is on that account that the sage desires not to desire and does not value
goods that are hard to get.
He learns not to learn and restores the common people's losses.
He is able to support the nature of all things and , not by daring, to impose
action."
- Translated by
Edward Brennan and Tao Huang, 2002, Chapter 64
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
"That which is at rest is easily kept hold of;
Before a thing has given indications of its presence, it is easy to take
measures against it;
That which is brittle is easily broken;
That which is very small is easily dispersed.
Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance;
Order should be secured before disorder has begun.
The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout;
The tower of nine stories rose from a small heap of earth;
The journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.
He who acts with an ulterior purpose does harm;
He who takes hold of a thing in the same way loses his hold.
The sage does not act so, and therefore does no harm;
He does not lay hold so, and therefore does not lose his bold.
But people in their conduct of affairs are constantly ruining them when they are
on the eve of success.
If they were careful at the end, as they should be at the beginning, they would
not so ruin them.
Therefore the sage desires what other men do not desire, and does not prize
things difficult to get;
He learns what other men do not learn, and turns back to what the multitude of
men have passed by.
Thus he helps the natural development of all things, and does not dare to act
with an ulterior purpose of his own."
- Translated by
James Legge, 1891,
Chapter 64
"What is still at rest is easily kept quiet.
What has not as yet appeared is easily prevented.
What is still feeble is easily broken.
What is still scant is easily dispersed.
Treat things before they exist.
Regulate things before disorder begins.
The stout tree has originated from a tiny rootlet.
A tower of nine stories is raised by heaping up bricks of clay.
A thousand miles' journey begins with a foot.
He that makes mars.
He that grasps loses.
The holy man does not make; therefore he mars not.
He does not grasp; therefore he loses not.
The people when undertaking an enterprise are always near completion, and
yet they fail.
Remain careful to the end as in the beginning and you will not fail in your
enterprise.
Therefore the holy man desires to be desireless, and does not prize articles
difficult to obtain.
He learns, not to be learned, and seeks a home where multitudes of people
pass by.
He assists the ten thousand things in their natural development, but he does
not venture to interfere."
- Translated by
D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913,
Chapter 64
By Hu Xuzehi
Annotated translation by Victor Mair 
By Ha Poong Kim
By Hans-Georg Moeller 
By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall
By Wes Burgess
By Arthur Waley
"Tackle difficulties when they are easy,
Accomplish great things when they are small.
Handle what is going to be rough
when it is still smooth.
Control what has not yet formed its force.
Deal with a dangerous situation while it is safe.
Manage what is hard while it is soft.
Eliminate what is vicious
before it becomes destructive.
This is called "attending to great things at small beginnings.
A tree so big it can fill the span of a man's arms
grows from a tiny sprout.
A terrace nine stories high
rises from a shovel-full of earth.
A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step.
Thus, one of integral virtue
never sets about grandiose things,
yet is able to achieve great things.
Lightly made promises inspire little confidence.
Making light of things at the beginning,
one will meet with failure in the end.
Being prepared for hardship,
one will not be overcome by it.
In handing their affairs, people often ruin them
just as they are on the verge of success.
With heedfulness in the beginning
and all the way through to the end,
nothing is ruined."
- Translation by Hua-Ching Ni, 1979, Chapter 64
The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching and Hua Hu Ching.
"That which has balance is easy to maintain.
That which has not arisen is easy to forestall.
That which is brittle is easy to shatter.
That which is minuscule is easy to scatter.
Therefore, manage problems before they arise;
Create order before disorder sets in.
A tree as large as the arms' embrace grows from a downy shoot.
A terrace nine stories high rises from a shovelful of earth.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
One who acts from the delusion of grandiosity fails.
One who clings to the delusion of grandiosity loses.
The sage does not act from delusion, and therefore he does not fail,
Nor does he cling to delusion, and therefore he does not lose.
Because of the delusion of grandiosity,
On the verge of success, people often fail.
If they would take as much care at the end as at the beginning,
They would not fail in their affairs.
The sage does not desire what the masses desire;
He does not treasure what the masses treasure.
He studies what the masses do not study;
He returns to the source of knowledge ignored by the masses.
Thus, without acting in delusion,
The sage supports all beings as they naturally exist."
- Translated by
Yasuhiko Genku Kimura,
Chapter 64
Chapter 64 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi
Commentary, Study Aides, Resources, Related Thoughts, Reflections
"Precisely the least, the
softest, lightest, a lizard's rustling, a breath, a flash, a moment - a
little makes the way of the best happiness."
- Frederich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra
Translation and elucidation by Hua Ching Ni
Translated by Brian Walker
Translated by Arthur Waley
Translated by Lionel and and Herbert Giles
By Eva Wong
"Before it move, hold it,
Before it go wrong, mould it,
Drain off water in winter before it freeze,
Before weeds grow, sow them to the breeze.
You can deal with what has not happened, can foresee
Harmful events and not allow them to be.
Though-- as naturally as a seed becomes a tree of arm-wide girth-
There can rise a nine-tiered tower from a man's handful of earth
Or here at your feet a thousand-mile journey have birth,
Quick action bruises,
Quick grasping loses.
Therefore a sane man's care is not to exert
One move that can miss, one move that can hurt.
Most people who miss, after almost winning,
Should have 'known the end from the beginning.'
A sane man is sane in knowing what things he can spare,
In not wishing what most people wish,
In not reaching for things that seem rare.
The cultured might call him heathenish,
This man of few words, because his one care
Is not to interfere but to let nature renew
The sense of direction men undo."
- Translated by
Witter Bynner,
1944, Chapter 64
"That which lies still is easy to hold;
That which is not yet manifest is easy to forestall;
That which is brittle (like ice) easily melts;
That which is minute easily scatters.
Deal with a thing before it is there;
Check disorder before it is rife.
A tree with a full span's girth begins from a tiny sprout;
A nine-storied terrace begins with a clod of earth.
A journey of a thousand li beings at one's feet.
He who acts, spoils;
He who grasps, lets slip.
Because the Sage does not act, he does not spoil,
Because he does not grasp, he does not let slip.
The affairs of men are often spoiled within an ace of
completion.
By being careful at the end as at the beginning
Failure is averted.
Therefore the Sage desires to have no desire,
And values not objects difficult to obtain.
Learns that which is unlearned,
And restores what the multitude have lost.
That he may assist in the course of Nature
And not presume to interfere."
- Translated by
Lin Yutang, 1955,
Chapter 64
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Translated by Livia Kohn
Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way
"What is secure is easy to hold
What has yet to begin is easy to plan for
What is thin is easy to break up
What is minute is easy to scatter
Attend to things before they come to be
Arrange things before they entangle
A tree which fills the joined embrace
Has grown from a slender shoot
A tower which reaches nine stories
Begins as a basket of earth
A journey of a thousand li
Begins from beneath the feet
Those who interfere spoil things
Those who grab lose things
This is why wise ones do not interfere and so do not spoil
Do not grab and so do not lose
People in their pursuits & affairs
(are) ever on the verge of achieving and still ruin things
Take care at the end as well as at the beginning
And then there will be no ruined affairs
This is why wise ones desire to have no desires
Do not prize goods which are hard to obtain
Learn to unlearn
And return to what everyone else has passed by
Thus helping the myriad beings to realize themselves
While not presuming to interfere"
- Translated by
Bradford Hatcher,
2005, Chapter 64
"What’s stable is easy to secure,
The unmanifest to plan against,
The fragile to splinter,
The incipient to dissolve.
Act before events occur:
Decision can prevent disorder.
A tree of girth
Grows from a twig.
A nine-tier tower
From a basket of earth;
And a thousand-mile journey
Begins where one stands.
Those who take the lead shall fail.
Those who cling lose hold.
This is why men of wisdom,
Taking no lead, do not fail,
Not clinging, do not lose hold.
How often do people, assuming a task,
Ruin it at the verge of success?
Hence the saying,
“Careful at the end as at the start,
And your task shall not abort.”
This is why the worldly wise
Seek what others do not seek,
“Prize not goods hard to find,”
Learn what others do not learn:
Redeem the wrongs many have done.
In this way support and sustain
The self-becoming of the myriad,
And do not presume to act upon them."
- Translated by
Moss Roberts,
2001, Chapter 64
Translated by Eva Wong 
Translated by Philip Ivahoe
By James Miller
Translated by Stephen Bokencamp
By Alexander and Annellen Simpkins
Translated by Thomas Cleary
By Livia Kohn
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Chapter 64
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The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE