Verse 24

24.

Those who stand on tiptoes

do not stand firmly.

Those who rush ahead

do not get very far

Those who try to outshine others

dim their own light.

Those who define themselves

can’t know who they really are.

Those who seek power over others

can’t empower themselves.

Those who boast of their accomplishments

will not endure.

When walking the path of the Tao,

these actions are unworthy

and must be left behind.

Just do your job, then let go.

This might be termed the ‘keep your ego in check’ verse.

It’s something we all have to be vigilant about, for the actions spoken of here are things we’ve been brought up to see as signs of power and success: rushing ahead, climing higher, trying to outshine others, creating a solid sense of ego or ‘self’ and displaying our accomplishments so that others can recognise how ‘great’ we are.

However, such behaviours are ultimately self-defeating and very often have the opposite effect than we’d hoped.

Just do your job, Lao Tzu suggests, and let the rest go.

Why the need to constantly fluff up our egos? To spend our lives living in such a way just leaves us exhausted and ultimately unfulfilled. Why not just get on with it and set aside the need to be “better” than others or have our accomplishments or virtue recognised. Let things be as they are.