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Confucius said, “When seeing goodness, one should feel as if unable to catch up with it; when seeing what is not good, one should recoil as if touching boiling water. I have seen such people and heard their words. As for those who retreat into seclusion to preserve their aspirations and act righteously to…
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The Master said, “The noble person is ashamed when his words exceed his actions.”
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The Master said, “If a person speaks without any sense of shame, it will be difficult for him to carry out what he says.”
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The Master said, “People of the south have a saying: ‘A person without constancy cannot even become a shaman or physician.’ How excellent this saying is!”He then quoted the Book of Changes: “If one does not maintain his virtue consistently, he will surely bring shame upon himself.”The Master added, “Such a person need not…
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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.
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Zigong asked about the true gentleman. The Master said, “He does not preach what he practises till he has practised what he preaches.”
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In dealing with mean people. the difficulty lies not in being too strict; but in avoiding a fastidious attitude.