The Master said, “There may be noble persons (junzi) who occasionally fall short of benevolence; but there has never been a petty person who truly attained benevolence.”
The Master said, “A person of virtue will surely have meaningful words; but one who has words is not necessarily virtuous. A humane (benevolent) person will surely possess courage; but a courageous person is not necessarily humane.”
The Master said, “When the state is well governed, speak uprightly and act uprightly; when the state is poorly governed, act uprightly but speak modestly and cautiously.”
Yuan Xian asked Confucius what constituted “shame.”The Master said, “When the state is well governed, it is right to draw a salary as an official; but when the state is poorly governed, to still draw a salary is shameful.”Yuan Xian then asked, “If someone can suppress competitiveness, boastfulness, resentment, and desire, can he be…
The Master said, “Firmness, resoluteness, simplicity, and cautious speech—these qualities bring one close to benevolence/humaneness.”
The Master said, “The noble person is calm and composed but not arrogant; the petty person is arrogant but not calm.”
The Master said, “The noble person (Confucian gentleman) is easy to work with but hard to please. If you try to please him in ways that violate the Way (Dao), he will not be pleased; yet when he employs others, he uses them according to their abilities. The petty person is hard to work…