Tao Te Ching – Chapter Forty-Eight
Written by Lao-tzu – From a translation by S. Mitchell
In pursuit of knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things,
until finally you arrive at non-action.
When nothing is done,
nothing is left undone.
True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.
It can't be gained by interfering.
How I Read This Chapter
More and more knowledge,
can fill the mind,
but only letting go
can free the heart.
In the Way of recovery,
we don’t accumulate power,
we release control.
We let go of the need to fix,
to force,
to manage outcomes.
And in that letting go,
we find peace.
Mastery is not about doing more,
but doing less
with deeper intention.
We stop interfering,
and start trusting.
That’s when the real work happens.
What This Means To Me
Before recovery, I thought the solution was always “more.” More effort. More knowledge. More plans. More control. If I could just gather enough insight, get smart enough, prepare well enough – I might finally feel safe, finally get it right. But my life didn’t improve with more thinking, it just led to more drinking. It improved with more surrender.
“In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped.” That perfectly captures my journey through the Steps. The further I go, the less I need to carry. I drop old ideas. I drop fear. I drop the belief that I must have all the answers. I stop trying to force my life into shape – and I begin to let it take shape through grace.
This is the paradox I’ve come to love: by doing less, I experience more. I used to interfere with everything – conversations, relationships, emotions, even my own growth. I thought life meant working hard all the time. But this chapter gently reminds me that true progress isn’t always about effort. It’s about alignment. It’s about trusting the process instead of manhandling it.
“When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.” That doesn’t mean I sit back and do nothing. It means I do what’s mine to do – and then let go of the rest. I stop forcing results and start flowing with reality. When I align with the Tao – when I follow the Steps and seek conscious contact – things begin to fall into place, not because I’m controlling them, but because I’m cooperating with something greater than me.
That’s where the wisdom from the Big Book enters so beautifully. On page 85, it says:
“Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use.”
This is the balance recovery offers me. I don’t throw my thinking away – but I no longer make it my god. I ask for guidance. I pause when agitated. I meditate before making big decisions. And then – with spiritual direction – I use the mind I’ve been given. Not to interfere, but to participate. Not to force outcomes, but to walk forward with integrity.
It’s Step Eleven in action: seeking God’s will, not mine. Asking only for the knowledge of that will, and the power to carry it out. Not control. Not cleverness. Just willingness.
Today, I am learning to let things go their own way. Not in resignation – but in reverence. Not with apathy – but with trust.
And in that letting go, I find a freedom I never could have forced.
