Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
- Not for the first time, the TTC lectures us on the dangers of arrogance.
- We're told, "Those who are on tiptoes cannot stand" (24.1), which probably means that if you try to stand taller than others all the time you'll eventually fall over (unless you're a massively talented ballerina).
- This is basically a metaphor for the idea that people who brag are not only destined to look like idiots, but are actually inherently idiotic.
- People who are with the Tao hate arrogance and treat it like "leftover food or tumors" (24.7). Eww.
- Even though arrogance is part of the Tao like everything else, it's an unfortunate part of the Tao that real-deal Tao masters don't engage in.