Laozi
其安易持，其未兆易謀。 其脆易泮，其微易散。 為之於未有，治之於未亂。 合抱之木，生於毫末； 九層之臺，起於累土； 千里之行，始於足下。 為者敗之，執者失之。 是以聖人無為故無敗； 無執故無失。 民之從事，常於幾成而敗之。 慎終如始，則無敗事， 是以聖人欲不欲，不貴難得之貨； 學不學，復衆人之所過， 以輔萬物之自然，而不敢為。
James Legge
That which is at rest is easily kept hold of; before a thing has given indications of its presence, it is easy to take measures against it; that which is brittle is easily broken; that which is very small is easily dispersed. Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun.
The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a (small) heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step.
He who acts (with an ulterior purpose) does harm; he who takes hold of a thing (in the same way) loses his hold. The sage does not act (so), and therefore does no harm; he does not lay hold (so), and therefore does not lose his bold. (But) people in their conduct of affairs are constantly ruining them when they are on the eve of success. If they were careful at the end, as (they should be) at the beginning, they would not so ruin them.
Therefore the sage desires what (other men) do not desire, and does not prize things difficult to get; he learns what (other men) do not learn, and turns back to what the multitude of men have passed by. Thus he helps the natural development of all things, and does not dare to act (with an ulterior purpose of his own).
Victor H. Mair
What is secure is easily grasped, What has no omens is easily forestalled, What is brittle is easily split, What is minuscule is easily dispersed. Act before there is a problem; Bring order before there is disorder. A tree that fills the arms’ embrace is born from a downy shoot; A terrace nine layers high starts from a basketful of earth; An ascent of a hundred strides begins beneath one’s foot. Who acts fails; Who grasps loses. For this reason, The sage does not act. Therefore, He does not fail. He does not grasp. Therefore, He does not lose. In pursuing their affairs, people often fail when they are close to success. Therefore, If one is as cautious at the end as at the beginning, there will be no failures. For this reason, The sage desires to be without desire and does not prize goods that are hard to obtain; He learns not to learn and reverts to what the masses pass by. Thus, he can help the myriad creatures be natural, but dares not act.
C. Spurgeon Medhurst
Whatever is at rest can easily be taken in hand; while yet no omens have appeared plans can be easily formed.
What is brittle is easily broken; what is minute is easily scattered.
Act before necessity arises; regulate before disorder commences. [^1]
The trunk that can scarcely be embraced sprang from a tiny shoot; the tower that is nine stories high was raised from a mound of earth; the journey of a thousand li [^2] commenced when the foot was placed on the ground. [^3]
Who makes, mars; who grasps, loses. [^4]
The Holy Man practises non-action, hence he never injures; he never grasps, hence he never loses. The majority are too eager for results in attending to their affairs, and spoil everything. There would be no such failures were they as cautious at the end as at the beginning. [^5]
Hence the Holy Man desires passionlessness; [^6] he does not prize articles that are rare; he studies to be unlearned; [^7] he reverts to that which the masses pass by. In this way he promotes the natural development of all things without venturing to interfere.
”Think not,” said the Lord Jesus, “that I came to destroy the law or the prophets; I came not to destroy, but to fulfill.” There is a natural development which cannot be disturbed without producing injurious reactions. Whoever, therefore, takes upon himself the office of a teacher assumes a responsibility which is heavy. The words of the Lord to Peter are, when rightly comprehended, awful enough to warn off all but the most Spirit-pressed from attempting to preach to their fellow-men. “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” We dare not refuse our aid and guidance, but it requires omniscience to offer it as it ought to be given. By practising non-action the wise man promotes development without marring it with the impress of his own personality.
[^1] “Take time by the forelock.” Remember that everything depends on being right in the beginning.
[^2] “li”—1894 ft. English, making 27 4-5 li equal to ten miles.
[^3] I Pet. v, 8, 9.
[^4] See chap. 29.
[^5] i.e. if they ceased to “take thought for the morrow,” and only cared to be true to themselves and their duty. Heb. iii, 14.
[^6] “The common herd are full of incessant solicitude; the holy Man is simple and ignorant.”—Chuang-tzu.
”Desire nothing to happen as you wish, but wish things to happen as they do.”—Epictetus.
”Whatever is agreeable to thee, O Universe, is agreeable to me; nothing is early or late for me that is seasonable for you.”—Marcus Aurelius.
”Desire is guided from without, will from within.”—Ancient Wisdom. p, 279.
”One should neither rejoice at obtaining what is pleasant, nor sorrow in obtaining what is unpleasant.”—Bhagavad Gita.
”One who has self-control, looks within at his mind, and in his mind there is no mind; he looks at his form, and in his form there is no form; he looks further and observes Nature, and in Nature there is no Nature.”—The Classic of Purity.
[^7] The student will here recall Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa (born near Treves A.D. 1401, died 1473) and his favorite phrase “learned ignorance,” or “learned not-knowing.” Wisdom is from within, it is born of the spirit; intellect is from without, it leads to superstition.
”If thou wilt know or learn anything profitably, desire to be unknown, and to be little esteemed.”—Thomas a Kempis.
Ursula K. Le Guin
It’s easy to keep hold of what hasn’t stirred, easy to plan what hasn’t occurred. It’s easy to shatter delicate things, easy to scatter little things. Do things before they happen. Get them straight before they get mixed up.
The tree you can’t reach your arms around grew from a tiny seedling. The nine-story tower rises from a heap of clay. The ten-thousand-mile journey begins beneath your foot.
Do, and do wrong; Hold on, and lose. Not doing, the wise soul doesn’t do it wrong, and not holding on, doesn’t lose it. (In all their undertakings, it’s just as they’re almost finished that people go wrong. Mind the end as the beginning, then it won’t go wrong.)
That’s why the wise want not to want, care nothing for hard-won treasures, learn not to be learned, turn back to what people overlooked. They go along with things as they are, but don’t presume to act.