The Master said:“Who but King Wen could be truly free from worry?He had King Ji as his father and King Wu as his son –his father initiated the enterprise, and his son carried it forward.”
The Master said:“Was Shun not the epitome of filial piety?His virtue made him a sage; his honor made him Son of Heaven;he possessed the wealth of all within the Four Seas.He is honored in ancestral temples, and his descendants preserve his legacy.
The Master said:“The Way is not distant from people.If one pursues the Way in a way that estranges it from human life, it cannot be called the true Way.”
Zilu asked about strength.The Master said:“Do you mean the strength of the South? The strength of the North? Or the strength that is truly yours to cultivate?
The Master said:“The world and the state may be governed with fairness;titles and emoluments may be renounced;even bare blades may be trodden upon –yet the Doctrine of the Mean is what cannot be practiced!”
The Master said:“Yan Hui was such a person –he chose the Doctrine of the Mean.Whenever he grasped even a single point of goodness,he held it close to his heart with unwavering devotion and never let it go.”