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The Way of No Contention

Lessons from the Tao Te Ching — Verse 81

3 min readAug 18, 2020

“The way for humans is to act without contention.”

The above is the very last line of the very last verse of the Tao Te Ching (Derek Lin translation), a philosophical, saving the best for last core idea of the 81 verses.

This week, I finished a research project to read several translations of the Tao Te Ching, to contemplate the verses and make notes as part of the research for the book I’m writing, “The Way of Human-Hearted Personal Transformation and Leadership.”

Non-Contention is one of my Principles of Human-Hearted Leadership, currently in development. You can read about the first principle, here:

I started my Tao contemplation on May 4, 2020, but I only started making written notes after verse 38. I have another two months to return to the beginning of the book, a wonderful and ironic expression of yin and yang.

But I share this sentiment, this idea that the only path for humanity is non-contention, because…

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Darren Stehle 🏳️‍🌈
Darren Stehle 🏳️‍🌈

Written by Darren Stehle 🏳️‍🌈

Coach supporting LGBTQ+ leaders to embody compassion, conviction, and purpose—to create meaningful change that honours dignity and humanity. DarrenStehle.com

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