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Duke Jing of Qi owned four thousand horses (in ancient China, a team of four horses was called a “si”; thus, one thousand si equals four thousand horses), enjoying immense wealth and luxury. Yet on the day he died, the people could find no virtue in him to praise. Bo Yi and Shu Qi…
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Confucius said, “When seeing goodness, one should feel as if unable to catch up with it; when seeing what is not good, one should recoil as if touching boiling water. I have seen such people and heard their words. As for those who retreat into seclusion to preserve their aspirations and act righteously to…
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Confucius said, “The noble person has nine things to reflect on: in seeing, think of clarity; in hearing, think of acuteness; in facial expression, think of warmth; in demeanor, think of respectfulness; in speech, think of sincerity; in action, think of diligence; in doubt, think of asking; in anger, think of the difficulties it…
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Confucius said, “Those who understand by birth are the highest; those who understand through learning come next; those who learn only after encountering difficulties are yet lower; and those who encounter difficulties but still do not learn – these are the lowest of the people.”
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Confucius said, “The noble person has three things to guard against: in youth, when one’s vital energies (xue qi) are not yet settled, guard against lust; in prime adulthood, when vital energies are at their strongest and most vigorous, guard against contentiousness; in old age, when vital energies have declined, guard against greed.”
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Confucius said, “When serving a noble person, there are three common faults: to speak before it is your turn is called impetuousness; to remain silent when it is your turn to speak is called concealment; and to speak without observing the other’s expression is called blindness.”