The Master said, “The determined scholar and the humane person will never seek to preserve their life at the expense of benevolence (humaneness); they would rather sacrifice their life to fulfill humaneness.”
The Master said, “How upright was Shi Yu! When the state was well governed, he was as straight as an arrow; when the state was poorly governed, he was still as straight as an arrow.What a noble person was Qu Boyu! When the state was well governed, he served in office; when the state…
The Master said with a sigh, “You, Zhong You! Truly, those who understand virtue are few indeed!”
The Master asked Zigong, “Ci, do you think I am someone who has acquired much knowledge and simply remembered it all?”Zigong replied, “Yes – aren’t you?”The Master said, “No. I hold to one principle that unifies everything.”
While in Chen, Confucius and his followers ran out of food. His disciples fell ill from hunger and could not get up. Zilu, visibly angry, came to see him and asked, “Can even a noble person (junzi) fall into such desperate straits?”The Master replied, “The noble person steadfastly endures poverty; when the petty person…