Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Things are easier to control while things are quiet.
Things are easier to plan far in advance.
Things break easier while they are still brittle.
Things are easier hid while they are still small.

Prevent problems before they arise.
Take action before things get out of hand.
The tallest tree
begins as a tiny sprout.
The tallest building
starts with one shovel of dirt.
A journey of a thousand miles
starts with a single footstep.

If you rush into action, you will fail.
If you hold on too tight, you will lose your grip.

Therefore the Master lets things take their course
and thus never fails.
She doesn’t hold on to things
and never loses them.
By pursing your goals too relentlessly,
you let them slip away.
If you are as concerned about the outcome
as you are about the beginning,
then it is hard to do things wrong.
The master seeks no possessions.
She learns by unlearning,
thus she is able to understand all things.
This gives her the ability to help all of creation.

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Greene notes that today’s Americans only prefer easy shortcuts. But smarter guys understand this lesson from very early on. Nothing is gained easily. Instead, you do things incrementally, step by step. Laozi here notes that the sage simply “lets things take their course and thus never fails.” However, one should note that this is only partially true. There is a time to let “things take course” and a time to take a decisive action. In addition, if you simply take a detached position and observe the things taking care of themselves, you may not spoil yourself by interfering with the progress of the things but may end up getting nothing substantial. Therefore, it is false to say that the sage “never fails.”