2.23 Zizhang asked whether the state of things ten generations hence could be foretold.
Duke Ai asked, “What can I do in order to get the support of the common people?”
Zizhang was learning with a view to official emolument. The Master said, “Hear much, but maintain silence as regards doubtful points and be cautious in speaking of the rest; then you will seldom get into trouble. See much, but ignore what it is dangerous to have seen, and be cautious in acting upon the…
The Master said, “You, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to recognize that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to recognize that you do not know it. That is knowledge.”
The Master said, “To devote oneself to heterodox doctrines brings harm indeed.”
The Master said, “He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”
The Master said: “The noble person practices inclusive integrity — they embrace all with impartial care, avoiding factional alliances. The petty person forms exclusive cliques — they bond through self-interest, lacking ethical consistency.