Yet　when　attacking　the　hard　and　the　strong　nothing　can　surpass　it。
  The　supple　overcomes　the　hard。
  The　soft　overcomes　the　strong。
  None　in　the　world　do　not　know　this。
  Yet　none　can　practice　it。
  That　is　why　the　Sage　says　to　accept　the　filth　of　a　nation　is　to　be　the　lord　of　the　society。
  To　accept　the　disasters　of　a　nation　is　to　be　is　to　be　the　ruler　of　the　world。
  Words　of　truth　seem　contradictory。
  79
  Compromising　with　great　hatred　inevitably　leads　to　more　hatred。
  How　can　this　be　considered　good？
  That　is　why　the　Sage　holds　the　left　half　of　the　tally…stick　yet　does　not　demand　others　measure　up。
  To　have　Te　is　to　hold　the　other　half　of　the　tally…stick。
  To　be　without　Te　is　to　lose　the　tally…stick。
  The　Tao　of　heaven　is　not　clannish。
  It　always　dwell　with　the　good　man。
  80
  In　small　country　of　few　people；　even　if　there　are　hundreds　of　weapons；　they　are　unnecessary。
  Cause　the　people　to　respect　death　and　they　will　not　migrate。
  Though　there　are　ships　and　vehicles；　no…one　boards　them。
  Though　there　are　armour　and　weapons；　no…one　parades　with　them。
  Let　men　return　to　knotting　strings　and　using　them。
  Food　will　be　sweet。
  Clothes　will　be　beautiful。
  Homes　will　be　comfortable。
  Customs　will　delight。
  Although　neighbouring　states　will　see　each　other　and　hear　the　other's　chickens　and　dogs；　the　citizens　of　each　will　age　and　die　establishing　contact　with　the　other。
  81
  Words　of　truth　are　not　beautiful。
  Beautiful　words　are　not　truthful。
  The　good　do　not　argue；
  Those　who　are　argue　are　not　good。
  The　wise　are　not　extensively　learned；
  The　extensively　learned　are　not　wise。
  The　Sage　is　not　mean。
  Simply　doing　things　for　others　he　feels　the　greater　fulfilment。
  Simply　giving　to　others　he　feels　he　has　gained　more。
  The　Tao　of　heaven　benefits　and　does　not　harm。
  The　Tao　of　the　Sage　is　to　accomplish　without　competing。
  English_Goddard_TTK
  Das　Tao　Te　King　von　Lao　Tse
  Chinese　…　English　by
  Dwight　Goddard；　1919
  Vorwort/Foreword
  I　LOVE　LAOTZU！　That　is　the　reason　I　offer　another　interpretative　translation；　and　try　to　print　and　bind　it　attractively。　I　want　you　to　appreciate　this　wise　and　kindly　old　man；　and　come　to　love　him。　He　was　perhaps　the　first　of　scholars　（6th　century　B。C。）　to　have　a　vision　of　spiritual　reality；　and　he　tried　so　hard　to　explain　it　to　others；　only；　in　the　end；　to　wander　away　into　the　Great　Unknown　in　pathetic　discouragement。　Everything　was　against　him；　his　friends　misunderstood　him；　others　made　fun　of　him。
  Even　the　written　characters　which　he　must　use　to　preserve　his　thought　conspired　against　him。　They　were　only　five　thousand　in　all；　and　were　ill　adapted　to　express　mystical　and　abstract　ideas。　When　these　characters　are　translated　accurately；　the　translation　is　necessarily　awkward　and　obscure。　Sinologues　have　unintentionally　done　him　an　injustice　by　their　very　scholarship。　I　have　tried　to　peer　through　the　clumsy　characters　into　his　heart　and　prayed　that　love　for　him　would　make　me　wise　to　understand　aright。
  I　hate　scholarship　that　would　deny　his　existence；　or　arrogant　erudition　that　says　patronizingly；　〃Oh；　yes；　there　doubtless　was　some　one　who　wrote　some　of　the　characteristic　sonnets；　but　most　of　them　are　an　accumulation　through　the　centuries　of　verses　that　have　similar　structure；　and　all　have　been　changed　and　amended　until　it　is　better　to　call　the　book　a　collection　of　aphorisms。〃
  Shame　on　scholarship　when；　sharing　the　visions　of　the　illuminati；　they　deride　them！
  There　are　three　great　facts　in　China　to…day　that　vouch　for　Laotzu。　First；　the　presence　of　Taoism；which　was　suggested　by　his　teachings；　not　founded　upon　them。　This　is　explained　by　the　inability　of　the　scholars；　who　immediately　followed　him　to　understand　and　appreciate　the　spirituality　of　his　teachings。　Second；　Confucian　dislike　for　Laotzian　ideas；　which　is　explained　by　their　opposition　to　Confucian　ethics。　Third；　and　the　greatest　fact　of　all；　is　the　characteristic　traits　of　Chinese　nature；　namely；　passivity；　submissiveness　and　moral　concern；　all　of　which　find　an　adequate　cause　and　source　in　the　teachings　of　Laotzu。
  An　interesting　fact　in　regard　to　the　thought　of　Laotzu　is　this。　Although　for　two　thousand　years　he　has　been　misunderstood　and　derided；　to…day　the　very　best　of　scientific　and　philosophic　thought；　which　gathers　about　what　is　known　as　Vitalism；　is　in　full　accord　with　Laotzu's　idea　of　the　Tao。　Every　reference　that　is　made　to…day　to　a　Cosmic　Urge；　Vital　Impulse；　and　Creative　Principle　can　be　said　of　the　Tao。　Everything　that　can　be　said　of　Plato's　Ideas　and　Forms　and　of　Cosmic　Love　as　being　the　creative　expression　of　God　can　be　said　of　the　Tao。　When　Christian　scholars　came　to　translate　the　Logos　of　St。　John；　they　were　satisfied　to　use　the　word　〃Tao。〃
  It　is　true　that　Laotzu's　conception　of　the　Tao　was　limited　to　a　conception　of　a　universal；　creative　principle。　He　apparently　had　no　conception　of　personality；　which　the　Christians　ascribe　to　God；　in　connection　with　it；　but　he　ascribed　so　much　of　wisdom　and　benevolence　to　it　that　his　conception　fell　little　short　of　personality。　To　Laotzu；　the　Tao　is　the　universal　and　eternal　principle　which　forms　and　conditions　everything；　it　is　that　intangible　cosmic　influence　which　harmonizes　all　things　and　brings　them　to　fruition；　it　is　the　norm　and　standard　of　truth　and　morality。　Laotzu　did　more　than　entertain　an　intelligent　opinion　of　Tao　as　a　creative　principle；　he　had　a　devout　and　religious　sentiment　towards　it：　〃He　loved　the　Tao　as　a　son　cherishes　and　reveres　his　mother。〃
  There　are　three　key　words　in　the　thought　of　Laotzu：　Tao；　Teh；　and　Wu　Wei。　They　are　all　difficult　to　translate。　The　simple　meaning　of　Tao　is　〃way；〃　but　it　also　has　a　wide　variety　of　other　meanings　Dr。　Paul　Carus　translates　it；　〃Reason；〃　but　apologizes　for　so　doing。　If　forced　to　offer　a　translation　we　would　suggest　Creative　Principle；　but　much　prefer　to　leave　it　untranslated。
  The　character；　〃Teh；〃　is　usually　translated　〃virtue。〃　This　is　correct　as　a　mere　translation　of　the；　character；　but　is　in；　no　sense　adequate　to　the　content　of　the　thought　in　Laotzu's　mind。　To　him；　Teh　meant　precisely　what　is　meant　in　the　account　of　the　healing　of　the　woman　who　touched　the　hem　of　Jesus'　robe：　〃Jesus　was　conscious　that　virtue　had　passed　from　him。〃　Teh　includes　the　meaning　of　vitality；　of　virility；　of　beauty　and　the　harmony　that　we　think　of　as　that　part　of　life　that　is　abounding　and　joyous。　The　third　word　is　the　negative　expression；　〃Wu　Wei。〃　Translated；　this　means　〃not　acting；〃　or　〃non…assertion。〃　When　Laotzu　urges　men　to　〃wu　wei；〃　he　is　not　urging　them　to　laziness　or　asceticism。　He　means　that　all　men　are　to　cherish　that　wise　humility　and　diffidence　and　selflessness　which　comes　from　a　consciousness　that　the　Tao　is　infinitely　wise　and　good；　and　that　the　part　of　human　wisdom　is　to　hold　one's　self　in　such　a　restrained　and　receptive　manner　that　the　Tao　may　find　one　a　suitable　and　conforming　channel　for　its　purpose。　The　title　of　Laotzu's　book；　Tao　Teh　King；　is　carelessly　translated；　The　Way　of　Virtue　Classic；　or　The　Way　and　Virtue　Classic。　This　is　very　inadequate。　The　Vitality　of　the　Tao　is　very　much　better。
  Most　commentators　think　that　Laotzu's　teachings　fit　in　especially　well　with　Buddhist　philosophy　This　conclusion　is　arrived　at　by　the　common　interpretation　of　wu　wei　as　submission　that　will　logically　end　in　absorption　of　the　spirit　in　Tao　as　Nirvana。　This　understanding　of　wu　wei；　which　Henri　Borel　shares　in　a　measure；　is；　we　believe；　incorrect；　inasmuch　as　Laotzu　consistently　teaches　a　finding　of　life　rather　than　a　losing　of　it。　Laotzu's　conception　of　Tao　as　the　underived　Source　of　all　things；　finding　expression　through　spiritual　Teh　in　universal　creative　activity；　is　very　close　to　Plato's　doctrine　of　the　good　as　the　One　ineffable　Source　of　all　things；　whose　Ideas　and　Forms　of　Goodness；　Truth　and　Beauty　radiated　outward　as　spiritual　logos　in　creative　activity　through　Spirit；　Soul　and　Nature　to　the　farthest　confines　of　matter。
  While　it　is　true　that　Laotzu's　teachings　would　find　little　in　common　with　the　Old　Testament　anthropomorphic　autocracy；　and　would　find　almost　nothing　in　common　with　the　modern　Ritschlean　system　of　ethical　idealism　which　has　for　its　basis　a　naturalistic　evolution　of　human　society　by　means　of　philanthropy；　laws；　cultural　civilizations；　and　human　governments　backed　by　force　of　arms；　nevertheless　his　teachings　are　entirely　in　harmony　with　that　Christian　philosophy　of　the　Logos；　which　is　a　heritage　from　the　Greeks；　through　Plato；　Philo；　St。　Paul；　Plotinus；　and　Augustine；　and　which　is　the　basis　of　the　mystical　faith　of　the　Christian　saints　of　all　ages。　While　Laotzu　would　find　little　in　common　with　the　busy；　impertinent　activities　of　so…called　Christian　statesman　building　by　statecraft　and　war；　he　would　find　much　in　common　with　Apostolic　Christianity　which　held　itself　aloof　from　current　politics　and　refused　to　enter　the　army；　content　to　live　simply；　quietly；　full　of　faith　and　humble　benevolence。
  And　most　of　all　would　he　find　himself　in　sympathy　with　the　teacher　of　Nazareth。　At　almo