Confucius was in danger when surrounded by people in Kuang. He said, “King Wen of Zhou is long gone – but is not the cultural tradition now embodied in me? If Heaven intended to destroy this culture, those born after him (including myself) would never have had access to it. Since Heaven has not…
Confucius eliminated four faults: he did not speculate without evidence, did not insist on absolute certainty, did not cling to rigid opinions, and did not prioritize his own self.
A person from Daxiang said, “How great is Confucius! He is immensely learned, yet he has not become famous for any single skill.” When Confucius heard this, he said to his disciples, “What should I specialize in? Should I take up charioteering or archery? I’ll go with charioteering.”
Confucius rarely spoke about profit. He spoke much more often about fate (the Mandate of Heaven) and humaneness (benevolence).
8.21 The Master said,”In Yu I can find no semblance of a flaw. Abstemious in his own food and drink, he displayed the utmost devotion in his offerings to spirits and divinities. Content with the plainest clothes for common wear, he saw to it that his sacrificial apron and ceremonial headdress were of the…
8.20Shun had five ministers and all that is under Heaven was well ruled.
8.19The Master said, “Greatest, as lord and ruler, was Yao. Sublime, indeed, was he. ‘There is no greatness like the greatness of Heaven,’ yet Yao could copy it. So boundless was it that the people could find no name for it; yet sublime were his achievements, dazzling the insignia of his culture!”