#64
“…. A tree too big to embrace is born from a slender shoot. A nine-story rises from a pile of earth. A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step. Act and you ruin it. Grasp and you lose it. Therefore the Sage does not act and so does not ruin Does not grasp and so does not lose. People commonly ruin their work When they are near success. Proceed at the end as at the beginning And your work won’t be ruined. Therefore the Sage desires no desires prizes no prizes Studies no studies And returns To what others pass by. The Sage Helps all beings find their nature, But does not presume to act.”
Poem 64, in the beginning, talks about how a journey is something that is natural and usually happens slowly and methodically. It talks about how many things happen naturally and how they come and go. Only when people try to hold on to certain items or things for too long, or purposely try to change what’s naturally happening in their lives, do things get messed up and “ruin” their “work”. When processes occur naturally, they flow smoothly. When people try to make them happen artificially, they often don’t flow well and don’t feel natural. When it comes to almost anything, trying to artificially make something happen prematurely cuts whatever you’re doing short, whether it comes to a job, responsibilities, relationship, or just simply intentions. The poem then talks about the Sage, which refers to a model for life, wisdom, etc. So, when the poem says, “…the Sage desires no desires… Helps all beings find their nature, But does not presume to act…”, its saying that the perfect model of a person accepts their fate and only does what they can within their control, allowing nature to take its course.