He　lets　go　of　conceit　and　opinion；　and　embraces　self…knowledge　and
  love。
  73
  A　soldier　who　has　the　courage　to　fight　will　eventually　be　killed。
  But　one　who　has　the　courage　not　to　fight　will　live。
  In　these　two；　one　is　good　and　the　other　harmful。
  Who　knows　why　Heaven　allows　some　things　to　happen？
  Even　the　Sage　is　stumped　sometimes。
  The　Way　of　Heaven　Does　not　compete；　but　is　good　at　winning；
  Does　not　speak；　yet　always　responds；
  Does　not　demand；　but　is　usually　obeyed；
  Seems　chaotic；　but　unfolds　a　most　excellent　plan。
  Heaven's　net　is　cast　wide
  And　though　its　meshes　are　loose；
  Nothing　is　ever　lost。
  74
  If　people　do　not　fear　death
  How　can　you　threaten　them　with　it？
  If　people　live　in　constant　fear　of　death；
  Because　those　who　break　the　law　are　seized　and　killed；
  Who　would　dare　to　break　the　law？
  There　has　always　been　an　officia　executioner。
  If　you　take　the　law　into　your　own　hands
  And　try　to　take　his　place；　It　is　like　trying　to　take　the　place　of　a
  master　carpenter
  In　which　case　you　would　probably　hurt　your　hands。
  75
  The　people　are　starving　because　their　leaders　eat　up
  All　their　money　in　taxes。
  And　so；　they　are　hungry。
  The　people　are　rebellious
  Because　their　leaders　are　intrusive。
  And　so；　they　protest。
  The　people　make　light　of　death　because　their　leaders
  live　so　well　at　their　expense。
  And　so；　they　expect　death。
  Therefore；　it　seems　that　one　who　does　not　grasp　this　life
  too　tightly　is　better　off　than　one　who　clings。
  76
  When　people　are　alive　they　are　soft　and　weak。
  At　their　death　they　are　hard　and　rigid。
  All　young　things；　including　grass　and　trees
  Are　soft　and　frail。
  At　their　death　they　are　withered　and　dry。
  So；　All　that　are　hard　and　rigid　take　the　company　of　death。
  Those　who　are　soft　and　weak　take　the　company　of　life。
  Therefore；　powerfu　weapons　will　not　succeed
  （Remember　that　strong　and　tal　trees
  are　the　ones　that　are　cut　down）。
  The　strong　and　rigid　are　broken　and　laid　low。
  The　soft　and　weak　will　always　overcome。
  77
  The　Tao　of　Heaven　is　like　the　stringing　of　a　bow。
  The　high　is　pressed　down　and　the　low　is　raised　up。
  The　string　that　is　too　long　is　shortened
  and　the　string　that　is　too　short　is　added　to。
  Heaven's　Way　is　to　take　from　what　has　too　much
  And　give　it　to　what　does　not　have　enough。
  This　is　not　the　way　of　men；　however；
  For　they　take　from　those　who　have　little
  To　increase　the　wealth　of　the　rich。
  So　who　is　it　that　has　too　much
  and　offers　it　to　a　needy　World？
  Only　someone　who　knows　the　Tao。
  Therefore；　the　Sage　works　anonymously。
  She　achieves　great　things
  But　does　not　wait　around　for　praise。
  She　does　not　want　her　talents　to　attract　attention　to　her。
  78
  In　the　whole　World　nothing　is　softer　or　weaker　than　water。
  And　yet　even　those　who　succeed　when　attacking　the　hard　and　the　strong
  cannot　overcome　it
  Because　nothing　can　harm　it。
  The　weak　overcomes　the　strong。
  The　soft　conquers　the　hard。
  No　one　in　the　World　can　deny　this
  Yet　no　one　seems　to　know　how　to　put　it　into　practice。
  Therefore　the　Sage　says
  〃One　who　accepts　a　peoples〃　shame　is　qualified　to　rule　it。
  One　who　embraces　a　condemned　people。
  is　called　the　king　of　the　Universe。〃
  True　words　seem　paradoxical。
  79
  When　enemies　are　reconciled；　some　resentment　invariably　remains。
  How　can　this　be　healed？
  Therefore　the　Sage　makes　good　on　his　half　of　the　deal
  And　demands　nothing　of　others。
  One　who　is　truly　good　will　keep　his　promise。
  One　who　is　not　good　will　take　what　he　can。
  Heaven　doesn't　choose　sides
  It　is　always　with　the　good　people。
  80
  It　is　best　to　have　smal　communities　with　few　people。
  And　although　they　have　goods　and　equipment　in　abundance
  few　of　them　are　even　used。
  They　have　great　love　of　life；
  and　are　content　to　be　right　where　they　are。
  And　although　they　have　boats　and　carriages；
  There　is　no　place　they　particularly　want　to　go。
  And　although　they　have　access　to　weapons　and　machineries
  of　war；　they　have　no　desire　to　show　them　off。
  Let　people　return　to　simplicity；　working　with　their　own　hands。
  Then　they　will　find　joy　in　their　food
  Beauty　in　their　simple　clothes
  Peace　in　their　living
  Fulfillment　in　their　traditions。
  And　although　they　live　within　sight　of　neighboring　states
  And　their　roosters　and　dogs　are　heard　by　one　another
  The　people　are　content　to　grow　old　and　die
  Without　having　gone　to　see　their　neighbor　states。
  81
  True　words　are　not　beautifull。
  Beautifu　words　are　not　true。
  Good　people　do　not　argue。
  Argumentative　people　are　not　good。
  The　wise　are　not　necessarily　well…educated。
  The　well…educated　are　not　necessarily　wise。
  The　Sage　does　not　hoard　things。
  The　more　she　does　for　others
  The　more　she　finds　she　has。
  The　more　she　gives　to　others
  The　more　she　finds　she　gains。
  Heaven's　Way　is　to　nourish；　not　to　harm。
  The　Sage's　Way　is　to　work；　yet　not　compete。
  English_MacHovec_TTK
  Das　Tao　Te　King　von　Lao　Tse
  English　interpretation　by
  Frank　J。　MacHovec；　1962
  Vorwort/Foreword
  Within　the　pages　of
  this　little　book
  lies　the　key　to　the
  Mastery　of　Life
  THE　Tao　Teh　Ching；　擳he　book　of　Tao　and　how　to　attain　it？　is　at　least　2。500　years　old。　As　an　ancient　nature　philosophy　it　is　surely　much　older；　having　been　passed　down　from　one　generation　to　another　before　the　advent　of　writing。
  Tao　（pronounced　Dow）　is　a　word　which　defies　literal　translation　into　English。　It　has　been　translated　as　Nature；　The　Way；　Ultimate　Reality；　Truth；　God；　Enlightenment；　or　The　Absolute。　None　of　these　is　adequate。
  Teh　（pronounced　Duh）　has　also　been　variously　translated：　as　Integrity；　Virtue；　Character；　Honor；　Reason；　Best　Conduct；　Intelligence　or　True　Wisdom。　It　is　the　highest　human　attainment；　but　again；　it　defies　accurate　translation。
  Ching　means　攂ook？
  Legend　has　it　that　the　Tao　Teh　Ching　was　written　by　Laotse　？which　in　Chinese　would　sound　like　Louis。　Laots　means　攚orshipful　master？or　攚ise　teacher？　When　Laotse　was　ninety　years　old；　so　the　legend　goes；　he　left　his　work　as　Keeper　of　the　Archives　to　go　into　the　hills；　there　to　await　death。　But　the　frontier　guards　would　not　let　him　pass　until　he　had　written　down　his　wisdom　for　future　generations。　Thus；　the　Tao　Teh　Ching　was　written。
  There　is　no　known　original　manuscript　of　The　Book　of　Tao　in　existence；　all　we　have　are　copies　of　copies。　It　is　composed　of　eighty…one　sutras　or　攕trands　of　thought？in　five　thousand　Chinese　picture…words。　Most　translations　list　the　sutras　in　strict　numerical　order　despite　the　fact　that；　over　the　centuries；　they　appear　to　have　become　disarranged。　The　present　version　is　devided　into　four　parts；　with　sutras　arranged　according　to　content。　The　traditional　sutra　number　is　listed　in　brackets　at　the　end　of　each。
  The　symbol　of　Tao　is　Yin…Yang。　The　basic　circle　of　this　symbol　denotes　the　universality　of　its　application。　The　black　portion　（Yin）　and　the　white　portion　（Yang）　allude　to　the　nature　of　conflict；　of　differences；　of　paradox。　In　it　is　the　interrelationship　of　male　and　female；　the　interplay　of　winter　and　summer；　day　and　night；　right　and　wrong；　liberal　and　conservative；　simple　and　difficult；　etc。　In　the　darkest　Yin　there　is　a　spot　of　Yang；　in　the　lightest　Yang　there　is　a　trace　of　Yin。
  The　Book　of　Tao　was　never　meant　to　be　scholarly。　It　was　spoken；　perhaps　chanted；　before　writing　was　known；　in　simple　language　so　that　everyone　could；　with　thought；　understand　it。　That　is　also　the　object　of　this　translation。
  …　…　…　…　…　…　…　…　…　…　…　…　…　…　…
  Note：　For　the　collections　technical　demands；　the　chapters　were　rearranged　to　their　common　order。　The　four　parts　defined　by　the　author；　are　the　following：
  PART　I　？　TAO
  SUTRAS　ON　THE　NATURE　OF　TAO
  Chapters：　1；　25；　4；　14；　32；　34；　41；　47；　56；　77；　51；　62；　73；　40
  PART　II　？　TEH
  SUTRAS　ON　THE　NATURE　OF　TEH
  Chapters：　21；　8；　78；　23；　5；　54；　38；　81；　33；　44；　67；　55；　16；　27；　49；　12；　26；　10；　50；　50；　20；　70
  PART　III　？　YIN…YANG
  SUTRAS　ON　THE　NATURE　OF　PARADOX
  Chapters：　35；　2；　9；　24；　29；　28；　43；　63；　42；　45；　64；　76；　13；　11；　48；　7；　52；　22；　37；　6
  PART　IV　？　TAO　AND　THE　STATE
  Taoist　philosophy　in　leadership；　education；　government；　and　war
  Chapters：　15；　53；　46；　71；　19　（*20）；　17；　66；　3；　39；　58；　59；　65；　60；　36；　57；　72；　75；　61；　79；　80；　74；　31；　30；　69；　68
  1
  The　Tao　described　in　words　is　not　the　real　Tao。　Words　cannot　describe　it。　Nameless　it　is　the　source　of　creation；　named　it　is　the　mother　of　all　things。
  To　see　Tao　the　observer　must　be　motiveless。　Those　with　selfish　motives　see　only　the　surface；　not　the　innermost　depths。　These　two　kinds　of　observers　look　alike　but　differ　in　the　insight　of　their　observations。
  They　look　alike　because　they　are　both　human；　within　humanity　is　the　key　to　the　door　of　creat