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Confucius wanted to move and live among the Nine Yi (barbarian tribes in the remote east). Someone said, “That place is too crude – how can you live there?” Confucius replied, “If a noble person lives there, how can it be called crude?”
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Zigong said, “Suppose there is a fine jade here – should we keep it stored away in a case, or should we look for a good buyer and sell it?” Confucius replied, “Sell it! Sell it! I am waiting for the right buyer.”
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Yan Hui sighed deeply and said, “The more I look up to the Master’s Way, the higher it appears; the more I delve into it, the firmer it becomes. Just when I think I see it ahead of me, suddenly it seems to be behind. My teacher guides people skillfully and step by step:…
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Confucius said, “The phoenix no longer appears; the Yellow River no longer reveals its chart. Alas, my cause is finished!”
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Confucius said, “Do I possess knowledge? No – I am actually ignorant. Once, a rustic man asked me a question; his mind was completely empty. My own mind was equally blank, so I simply examined the issue from both ends and exhausted its meaning.”
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Lao (a disciple of Confucius) said, “The Master once remarked, ‘Because I was never given an official post, I acquired many practical skills.’”