24

Standing tiptoe, a man loses balance,

Walking a stride, he has no pace,

Kindling himself he fails to light,

Acquiring himself forfeits his hearers,

Admiring himself, he does so alone.

Pride has never bought a man greatness

But, according to the way of life,

Brings the ills that make him unfit,

Make him unclean in the eyes of his neighbor,

And a same man will have none of them.

   The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu

   Translated by Witter Bynner