To constantly hear words that grate upon the ear and to always encounter matters that unsettle the heart—this is the whetstone for cultivating virtue.
A person who shuns power, wealth and luxury is clean. But a man who comes into contact with power, wealth and luxury and still remains unsullied is even cleaner.
Those who preserve their moral integrity suffer only fleeting loneliness. But eternal wretchedness awaits those who toady to the powerful.