A　true　fighter　is　unshakeable
  A　true　victor　does　not　argue
  A　true　leader　is　the　least
  That抯　what　people　call　搉on…violent　defensibility？br》　And　that抯　how　one　gets　the　people　on　his　side
  That　is　called　搇iving　according　to　your　nature？br》　That　is　the　perfection　of　which　the　wise　of　old　spoke
  69
  One　who　understands　that　quarrels　will　never　solve　anything；
  Won抰　start　them　anymore　and　prefers　to　wait
  He　rather　takes　a　step　back　or　retracts
  That抯　what　people　call　winning　by　losing
  Showing　strength　without　impressing
  Standing　firm　without　starting　a　fight
  Nothing　is　more　disastrous　than　underestimating　your　enemy
  One　who　underestimates　his　enemy　exposes　oneself　to　danger
  Therefore　he　who抯　driven　by　compassion
  Is　always　the　winner　in　a　conflict
  70
  My　words　are　easy　to　comprehend
  And　easy　to　bring　to　practice
  Yet　no　one　in　the　world　wants　to　surrender　to　them
  And　no　one　feels　capable　of　living　according　to　them
  My　words　have　an　origin；　my　way　of　living　a　principle
  But　because　the　people　do　not　dare　to　see　this
  They　are　not　able　to　understand　me
  There　are　only　a　few　who　understand　me　and　to　them　I　am　most　precious
  One　who　is　wise　therefore　acts　unnoticed；　but　remains　oneself
  71
  Realizing　you　can抰　know　anything；　is　wise
  One　who　does　not　understand　he　can抰　know　anything；　is　insane
  One　who　realizes　his　insanity；
  Is　able　to　get　rid　of　it
  One　who　is　wise　is　not　insane　anymore；
  Because　he　has　disposed　of　his　insanity
  Therefore　he　has　a　clear　view
  72
  When　people　have　forgotten　what　to　be　afraid　of；
  They　will　live　in　vague　fear
  Why　do　they　come　to　terms　with　this　miserable　way　of　living？
  Why　don抰　they　see　the　beauty　of　life？
  Why　are　they　so　scared　of　escaping　their　rut？
  One　who　is　wise　understands　this；　and　won抰　flaunt　it
  He　enjoys　it　but　doesn抰　consider　it　as　his　own　merit
  He　abandons　his　old　way　of　living　and　embraces　true　life
  73
  Having　guts　and　being　reckless　will　lead　to　death
  Having　guts　and　being　cautious　saves　life
  The　first　is　useless；　the　other　useful
  Only　one　who　is　wise　understands　the　course　of　things
  Therefore　he　won抰　intervene
  It　is　easy　to　infringe　upon　the　eternal　laws　of　nature
  But　they　always　triumph
  They　don抰　speak；　yet　they　do　answer
  They　don抰　yell；　yet　everybody　hears　them
  Like　a　net；　the　original　order　protects　the　Universe
  Though　its　meshes　seem　wide；　nothing　can　come　through
  74
  When　people　no　longer　fear　death
  How　can　one　threaten　them　with　it？
  But　if　people　are　afraid　of　death　and　other　people　threaten　to　kill　them
  When　they　infringe　upon　the　law
  Well；　who　is　still　going　to　break　the　law？
  But　there　is　only　One　who　commands　life　and　death
  Since　people　started　to　decide　about　life　and　death　themselves
  They　have　actually　taken　a　place　on　that　One抯　chair
  Then　they　behave　like　sorcerer抯　apprentices
  Who　assault　the　works　of　their　master；
  With　disastrous　consequences　for　themselves
  75
  People　starve
  Because　the　wealthy　enrich　themselves　off　other　people抯　backs
  That抯　why　people　starve
  People　cannot　be　kept　under　control
  Because　their　leaders　don抰　know　what　they抮e　doing
  That抯　why　people　cannot　be　kept　under　control
  People　want　to　die
  Because　they　don抰　want　to　live　this　way
  Therefore　people　want　to　die
  Only　the　one　who　is　not　afraid　to　live；
  Is　not　afraid　of　dying
  76
  When　a　human　being　is　born；　it抯　supple　and　weak
  When　it　dies　it抯　stiff　and　strong
  Everything　that抯　alive　（take　a　look　at　grass　and　trees　for　example）
  Is　supple　and　flexible
  And　when　they　die　they　are　shriveled　and　parched
  Therefore　hardness　and　inflexibility　are　companions　of　death
  And　suppleness　and　softness；　companions　of　life
  That抯　why　a　rigid　troublemaker　will　never　win
  And　an　inflexible　tree　is　doomed　to　death
  Inflexibility　and　power　won抰　get　you　very　far
  Suppleness　and　softness　get　you　everywhere
  77
  The　natural　order　is　like　stretching　a　bow
  The　low　bow　gets　pushed　up　high
  And　the　high　tendon　pulled　downwards
  Where　there　is　too　much；　it　takes　away
  Where　there　is　not　enough；　it　fills
  Nature　strives　for　harmony　all　the　time
  Decreases　where　there　is　too　much
  And　increases　where　there　is　too　little
  But　how　opposite　are　the　people　in　their　behaviour
  The　poor　get　poorer　while　the　rich　tend　to　get　richer
  But　one　who　is　wise　realizes　that　possession　is　burglary　to　community
  Therefore　he　disposes　himself　of　that　which　belongs　to　the　community
  So　only　one　who　is　wise　is　detached
  He　does　what　others　ask　him　to；　but　nothing　for　himself
  Without　taking　credit　for　it
  78
  Nothing　in　life　is　so　soft　and　compliant　as　water
  Nothing　is　stronger　in　breaking　what　is　hard　and　strong
  Nothing　can　exceed　it　in　doing　this
  Weak　overcomes　strong
  Soft　overcomes　hard
  Nobody　knows　this
  And　no　one　practices　it
  Therefore　the　sage　says：
  One　who　is　the　least　in　the　world；　will　be　the　greatest　in　life
  One　who　carries　the　sorrow　of　the　world；　is　the　greatest　among　mankind
  It　sounds　odd；　but　it抯　true
  79
  When　people　make　peace　after　violent　hostility
  Then　it抯　an　armed　peace
  How　can　it　be　right？
  One　who　is　wise　only　takes　a　look　at　his　own　share　in　the　conflict
  And　never　blames　his　opponent
  So　one　who　is　fair　only　faces　his　own　part
  While　one　who　is　not　daring　enough　to　look　at　oneself；　blames　the　other
  The　road　to　self…knowledge　knows　no　partiality
  But　it　does　benefit　the　sincere
  80
  May　mankind　live　in　freedom；　equality　and　brotherhood　again；
  So　that　there　will　be　no　need　for　leaders　and　superiors
  Then　people　won抰　fear　death　any　longer
  And　won't　try　to　escape　death
  May　it　be　that　people　don抰　feel　the　need　anymore；
  To　move　themselves　about　in　vehicles
  And　that　they　will　have　nothing　to　defend　anymore
  May　humankind　abandon　their　instruments　and　machines；
  And　enjoy　the　seeds　of　the　fruit…bearing　plants
  Those　were　meant　as　our　food
  May　they　feel　shamelessly　proud　of　their　natural　beauty　again
  May　they　stop　locking　themselves　away　in　cities　and　houses；
  And　start　enjoying　creation
  And　if　some　fools　still　lock　themselves　away　in　nations；
  Civilizations；　cities　and　houses
  May　the　wise　men　keep　themselves　far　from　this；
  And　live　happily　ever　after
  81
  True　words　are　not　pretty
  Pretty　words　are　not　true
  Wise　men　do　not　talk　about　the　Unspeakable
  One　who　talks　about　the　Unspeakable　is　not　wise
  Wise　men　are　not　learned
  And　learned　ones　aren抰　wise
  A　wise　man　doesn抰　gather　possessions
  He　gives　what　he　has
  And　therefore　he　is　worthy　of　living
  He　shares　his　wisdom　with　others
  His　wisdom　is　never…ending
  Living　according　to　nature　never　harms
  The　life　of　a　wise　man　is　unselfish　and　peaceful
  English_Antonov_TTK
  Das　Tao　Te　King　von　Lao　Tse
  Russian　by
  Vladimir　Antonov
  Russian　…　English　by
  Mikhail　Nikolenko
  Vorwort/Foreword
  The　book　Tao　Te　Ching　was　written　by　great　Chinese　spiritual　adept　Lao　Tse　about　2500　years　ago。　In　that　incarnation；　Lao　Tse　was　a　disciple　of　non…incarnate　Huang　Di*　and　achieved　full　spiritual　self…realization。　At　present　time；　Lao　Tse　provides　spiritual　help　to　incarnate　people。
  The　work　on　creating　this　edition　of　translation　of　Tao　Te　Ching　was　performed　at　personal　request　of　Lao　Tse**　and　with　His　help。
  The　book　Tao　Te　Ching　is　one　of　the　most　fundamental　textbooks　on　philosophy　and　methodology　of　spiritual　development。
  *　One　can　find　more　details　in　the　books　God　Speaks。　Divine　Teachers　？about　Themselves　and　How　God　Can　Be　Cognized。　Book　2。　Autobiographies　of　God抯　Students　under　editorship　of　Vladimir　Antonov。
  **　In　this　request　He　added　that　a　competent　translation　of　Tao　Te　Ching　can　be　made　only　by　person　who　walked　the　entire　Path　to　cognition　of　Tao。
  1
  One　cannot　know　Tao*　only　by　speaking　about　It。
  One　cannot　name　by　human　name　that　Origin　of　the　sky　and　earth　Which　is　the　Mother　of　everything。
  Only　he　who　is　free　from　worldly　passions　can　see　It；　and　he　who　has　such　passions　can　see　only　Its　Creation。
  Tao　and　Its　Creation　are　One　in　essence　though　called　by　different　names。　The　passage　which　exists　between　them　is　the　door　to　all　the　miraculous。
  *　Synonyms　of　this　word　of　Chinese　origin　are　the　words　Primordial　Consciousness；　Creator；　God…the…Father；　Allah；　Svarog；　etc。
  2
  When　people　know　what　is　beautiful；　they　understand　also　what　is　ugly。
  When　they　learn　what　is　good；　they　realize　also　what　is　evil。
  In　this　way；　beingness　and　non…beingness；　hard　and　easy；　long　and　short；　high　and　low　allow　knowing　each　other。
  Different　sounds　mix　and　creat