• The Analects – Chapter 14.1

    Yuan Xian asked Confucius what constituted “shame.”The Master said, “When the state is well governed, it is right to draw a salary as an official; but when the state is poorly governed, to still draw a salary is shameful.”Yuan Xian then asked, “If someone can suppress competitiveness, boastfulness, resentment, and desire, can he be…

  • The Analects – Chapter 13.30

    The Master said, “To send the people into battle without first instructing them is to abandon them.”

  • The Analects – Chapter 13.29

    The Master said, “If a good person instructs the people for seven years, they will be ready to take up arms.”

  • The Analects – Chapter 13.28

    Zilu asked, “What must one be like to be called a ‘shi’ (a morally cultivated scholar or gentleman)?”The Master said, “One who is earnest and mutually encouraging, yet also gentle and harmonious at home—such a person may be called a shi. Specifically, friends should be earnest and supportive of each other; brothers should be…

  • The Analects – Chapter 13.27

    The Master said, “Firmness, resoluteness, simplicity, and cautious speech—these qualities bring one close to benevolence/humaneness.”