Mencius said to Chi Wa: “You resigned your post as magistrate of Lingqiu and requested to become Chief Justice – a reasonable move, since that position allows you to speak directly to the ruler. But now several months have passed. Haven’t you had a chance to speak your mind yet?”
Mencius visited Pinglu in the state of Qi and said to its local magistrate, Kong Juxin: “If one of your soldiers who stands guard with a halberd deserts his post three times in a single day, would you dismiss him?”
Chen Zhen asked Mencius: “The other day in Qi, the king offered you one hundred yi of fine gold, and you refused it. But in Song, you accepted seventy yi, and in Xue, fifty yi. This seems contradictory: If refusing the gift in Qi was right, then accepting in Song and Xue must be…
Mencius said: “Bo Yi would not serve a ruler he did not approve of, nor befriend anyone he deemed unworthy.”
Mencius said: “Zilu was delighted whenever someone pointed out his faults. Yu the Great would bow in gratitude whenever he heard wise and virtuous words.”
Mencius said: “Is the arrow-maker really less humane than the armor-maker?”
Mencius said: “Everyone possesses a heart that cannot bear to see others suffer. The ancient sage-kings had this very ‘heart of not bearing the suffering of others,’ and thus they implemented policies that reflected that compassion.