Book cover of Tao Te Ching: A New English Version

Book description

The bestselling, widely acclaimed translation from Stephen Mitchell

"Mitchell's rendition of the Tao Te Ching comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine. It embodies the virtues its translator credits to the Chinese original: a gemlike lucidity that is radiant with humor, grace, largeheartedness,…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked Tao Te Ching as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I have treasured this book since college days, as a concise summary of the truth of existence. 

That’s a lot to say, but try it. Eternal truths are so simple! Yet so profound! I was blown away by the first line – a book with its topic as “the Tao” says that if you can explain it, it’s not it! Then why did he write the xxx thing?

Ah, only through time can I start understanding. I feel this precious book gives me an anchor to view the world, life, people.

“Like the eternal void filled with infinite possibilities,” Lao…

Lao Tzu’s Tao de Ching has been reprinted more than the Bible.

I recommend you have at least five different translations. I have seventeen. The central guiding version you should dive into is The Tao of Power by R L Wing. At a minimum, have Stephen Mitchell’s sublime Tao de Ching alongside Wing’s The Tao of Power.

I have been absorbing translations of the Tao de Ching for over forty years. Lao Tzu deftly explains how the world works. Grasp it with your intuitive self.

This specific translation by Stephen Mitchell changed my life. I love its poetic style, his contemporary but timeless references, and the way he captures the essence of the mystical worldview.

It’s as close to a perfect spiritual text as I can imagine. If I were allowed only one book for the rest of my life, this would likely be it. If I could suggest one book for every twelfth-grade student to read, study, and discuss, it might be this one!

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