Respect Yourself, Know Yourself,
Recognize Your Attributes, Be Humble, Restraint,
Fear of Power, Don't Bother Others, Wonder, Don't be Narrow,
愛巳
"If the people do not fear the dreadful, the great
dreadful will come, surely.
Let them not deem their lives narrow.
Let them not deem their lot wearisome.
When it is not deemed wearisome, then it will not be wearisome.
Therefore the holy man knows himself but does not display himself.
He holds himself dear but does not honor himself.
Thus he discards the latter and chooses the former."
- Translated by
D. T. Suzuki and Paul
Carus, 1913, Chapter 72
"When the people do not fear what they ought to fear,
that which is their great dread will come on them.
Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life;
Let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on.
It is by avoiding such indulgence that such weariness does not arise.
Therefore the sage knows these things of himself, but does not parade his
knowledge;
Loves, but does not appear to set a value on, himself.
And thus he puts the latter alternative away and makes choice of the former."
- Translated by
James Legge, 1891,
Chapter 72
"Be not irate should others fail to be awed by your
attributes.
Having true importance, circumstances will ultimately bring proper recognition.
Imprison them not -
Harass and oppress them not,
Treating them compassionately,
You, in turn, will be so treated.
Thus the Sage,
Knowing his own power,
Does not overtly display it.
Loving himself,
Does not exalt himself.
Rejecting external sensuousness,
He accepts the powers within his being."
- Translated by
Alan B. Taplow,
1982, Chapter 72
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
"When the people do not fear your might
Then your might has truly become great.
Don't interfere with their household affairs.
Don't oppress their livelihood.
If you don't oppress them they won't feel oppressed.
Thus the sage understands herself
But does not show herself.
Loves herself
But does not prize herself.
Therefore she lets go of that
And takes this."
- Translated by
Charles Muller,
Chapter 72
"When the people stop fearing the fearsome something
truly fearsome will descend upon them.
Don't hem them in
and choke their lives with oppression.
That's all.
Just let them be,
and they'll never tire of you.
A sage sees through himself without revealing himself,
loves himself without exalting himself,
always ignores that and chooses this."
- Translated by
David Hinton,
Chapter 72
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
"When people lose their fear of power
Then great power has indeed arrived.
Do not intrude on the people's material living.
Do not despise their spiritual lives, either.
If you respect them, you will be respected.
Therefore the Sage knows himself,
But he is not opinionated.
He loves himself, but he is not arrogant.
He lets go of conceit and opinion, and embraces self-knowledge and love."
- Translated by
John R. Mabry,
Chapter 72
"The master’s sense of wonder is constant, like a déjà
vu that never ends.
He realizes this wonder is missing from others, but leaves them be unless they
ask for help.
Having no self, he understands them.
If he would push or prod, they would distance themselves.
He has let go of the idea that people can be helped."
- Translated by
David Bullen,
Chapter 72
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
"If people do not fear the awesome, something more awful
is imminent.
But do not be disrespectful of their dwellings.
If not oppressed, they will not press.
That is why the Sage knows himself but does not reveal himself.
He has self-respect, but does not seek recognition.
Hence, he rejects one and takes the other."
- Translated by
Tam Gibbs, 1981,
Chapter 72
"When the people fear no power,
Then great power has indeed arrived.
Do not disturb them in their dwellings,
Do not weary them in their living.
It is because you do not weary (pu yen) them,
That they are not wearied of you.
Therefore the sage knows himself (tzu chih),
But does not see himself (tzu chien).
He loves himself (tzu ai),
But does not exalt himself (tzu kuei).
Therefore he leaves that and takes this."
- Translated by
Ellen Chen,
Chapter 72
Dao Te Ching by Lao Tsu, Posts to the Cloud Hands Blog
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Translated by Livia Kohn
Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way
"When people dread not the powers that be,
A greater dread is on the way.
Encroach not on their domain;
Do not burden down their lives.
Only of those who bear bearing
Will the people bear the burden.
This is why wise men who govern
Know themselves, show themselves not,
Conserve themselves, esteem themselves not:
Rejecting these, preferring those."
- Translated by
Moss Roberts,
Chapter 72
"When the people no longer fear your power,
It is a sign that a greater power is coming.
Interfere not lightly with their dwelling,
Nor lay heavy burdens upon their livelihood.
Only when you cease to weary them,
They will cease to be wearied of you.
Therefore, the Sage knows himself,
But makes no show of himself,
Loves himself,
But does not exalt himself.
He prefers what is within to what is without."
- Translated by
John C. H. Wu,
Chapter 72
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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Lao Tzu: Te-Tao Ching - A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered
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Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In Depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic.
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Mike Garofalo writes about Taoism, Gardening, Taijiquan, Walking, Mysticism,
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Tao Te
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The Tao
and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching. By Michael
Lafargue. New York, SUNY Press, 1994. 660 pages.
The
Whole Heart of Tao: The Complete Teachings from the Oral Tradition of Lao-Tzu.
By John Bright-Fey. Crane Hill Publishers, 2006. 376 pages.
Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching
Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Grove, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Red Bluff, California
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The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE