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The Analects – Chapter 76 (4.11). Noble person vs. Petty person
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4.11 The Master (Confucius) said, “Where gentlemen set their hearts upon virtue, the commoners set theirs upon the soil. Where gentlemen think only of punishments, the commoners think only of exemptions.”
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The Analects – Chapter 75 (4.10). Beyond rigidity
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4.10 The Master said, “A gentleman in his dealings with the world has neither enmities nor affections; but wherever he sees righteousness he ranges himself beside it.”
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The Analects – Chapter 74 (4.9). Beyond material pursuits
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4.9 The Master said, “A scholar whose heart is set upon Dao, but who is ashamed of wearing shabby clothes and eating coarse food, is not worth calling into counsel.”
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The Analects – Chapter 73 (4.8). Dao as life’s ultimate purpose
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4.8 The Master said, “In the morning, hear the Dao (the Way); in the evening, die content!”
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The Analects – Chapter 72 (4.7). Faults as mirrors to moral character
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4.7 The Master said, “People’s faults vary according to their kind. By observing their faults, one comes to understand their humanity.”