6.19
The Master said, “Man’s very life is honesty, in that without it he will be lucky indeed if he escapes with his life.”
子曰：「人之生也直，罔之生也幸而免。」
Notes
Confucius asserted that moral integrity is the foundation for one’s place in society. Those without integrity may survive, but only by temporarily evading disaster through mere chance.
This reflects his rational yet unwavering ethical conviction:
- The upright may not gain immediate reward, but their lives stand on solid ground;
- The cunning may profit momentarily, yet tread on thin ice—their downfall is inevitable.
Mencius said: “He who corrupts his own integrity can never set others straight.”(Mencius 6.1)
Mencius pointed out that a person who behaves improperly and violates moral principles can never make others upright. This is in the same vein as the logic behind the maxim “Man is born to be upright” – uprightness is the prerequisite for establishing one’s character. Only by upholding integrity oneself can one exert a positive influence on others. Those who “survive by crooked means” fail to keep themselves upright, let alone set others straight; their continued existence is merely a matter of luck.
Mencius said: “Look up and be unashamed before heaven; look down and be unashamed before men.”(Mencius 13.20)
A gentleman conducts himself in such a way that he feels no remorse before heaven above or before people below. This is precisely the ultimate state of “Man is born to be upright” – a life of inner peace and fearlessness, which does not depend on luck to survive. In contrast, those who “survive by crooked means” will “feel ashamed before heaven when looking up and before men when looking down”. Even if they escape misfortune, they can never evade the condemnation of their own conscience.
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