Chapter 63 · Acting Without Acting

Tao Te Ching (Legge, 1891) · chapter title added by Learn the Dao

Learn the Dao: a quiet practice for learning the thing that can’t be known.

The chapter’s first line

(It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting;

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This chapter in plain modern English — David Kooi’s rendering ↓

(It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting; to conduct affairs without (feeling the) trouble of them; to taste without discerning any flavour; to consider what is small as great, and a few as many; and to recompense injury with kindness. (The master of it) anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small. All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small. Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things. He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult. Therefore the sage sees difficulty even in what seems easy, and so never has any difficulties.

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He who lightly promises is sure — missed to keep but little faith

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Chapter 63, in a second rendering

Handle the Hard Thing While It's Easy

Dao De Kooi — an original rendering by David Kooi

Act without forcing. Work without thrashing. Taste what has no taste. Treat the small like it's big and the few like they're many. Pay back a wrong with plain decency. Handle the hard thing while it's still easy. Handle the big thing while it's still small. Everything hard started out easy, everything big started out small. So the steady hand never reaches for big - which is how they end up doing big things. Easy promises don't earn much trust. Treat everything like it's harder than it looks and, funny enough, nothing ends up that hard.

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