•
The Master said, “The noble person aspires upward toward the Way, virtue, and heavenly principle; the petty person sinks downward toward private gain, desire, and trivial concerns.”
•
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.”
•
4.16 The Master said, “A gentleman takes as much trouble to discover what is right as lesser men take to discover what will pay.”