Verse 24
On his tiptoes a man is not steady
Taking long strides he cannot keep pace
To the self-serving, nothing shines forth
To the self-promoting, nothing is distinguished
To the self-appointing, nothing bears fruit
To the self-righteous, nothing endures
From the viewpoint of Tao, this self-indulgence
is like rotting food and painful growths on the body—
Things that all creatures despise
So why hold onto them?
When walking the path of Tao
this is the very stuff
that must be uprooted, thrown out, and left behind
Taking long strides he cannot keep pace
To the self-serving, nothing shines forth
To the self-promoting, nothing is distinguished
To the self-appointing, nothing bears fruit
To the self-righteous, nothing endures
From the viewpoint of Tao, this self-indulgence
is like rotting food and painful growths on the body—
Things that all creatures despise
So why hold onto them?
When walking the path of Tao
this is the very stuff
that must be uprooted, thrown out, and left behind
