A one-minute narration sample. Every book in the library is narrated end to end — hear the rest in the app.
Tao Te Ching · 44 of 81
Or fame or life, Which do you hold more dear? Or life or wealth, To which would you adhere? Keep life and lose those other things; Keep them and lose your life:—which brings Sorrow and pain more near?
Thus we may see, Who cleaves to fame Rejects what is more great; Who loves large stores Gives up the richer state.
Who is content Needs fear no shame. Who knows to stop Incurs no blame. From danger free Long live shall he.
Asked of Guide
Why does Lao Tzu pit fame, wealth, and stores against life and contentment here?
Lao Tzu stages a simple choice: clinging to fame or riches sacrifices the greater good of preserving life and inner sufficiency. He makes the trade visible — “Keep life and lose those other things; Keep them and lose your life” — so you see that attachment brings sorrow and shortens what matters most.
The chapter prizes contentment and knowing when to stop as the means to safety and longevity: “Who is content / Needs fear no shame,” and “Who knows to stop / Incurs no blame.” This echoes Chuang Tzu 45’s praise of restraint and the Sayings of Lao Tzu on contraction before expansion, both urging less wanting as the path to steadiness and long life.
Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.
Echoes elsewhere