Bound Like a Sheep
Behave as at a banquet. When something is brought round, put out your hand and take a moderate share. When it passes by, do not stop it. When it has not yet come, do not yearn toward it—wait till it reaches you. Apply the same rule to children, wife, office, and riches. If you can even forego what is set before you, you become worthy not only to feast with the gods but to rule with them.
Key Insight
Participation without grabbing. Yearning toward what has not reached you burns the moderate share already passing under your nose. Love that cannot wait or release has already turned the table into a scramble.
“Do not yearn in desire toward it, but wait till it reaches you.”Explore full theme analysis
