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…
The Master said, “The noble person is ashamed when his words exceed his actions.”
The Master said, “If a person speaks without any sense of shame, it will be difficult for him to carry out what he says.”
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…
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.
Zigong asked about the true gentleman. The Master said, “He does not preach what he practises till he has practised what he preaches.”
In dealing with mean people. the difficulty lies not in being too strict; but in avoiding a fastidious attitude.