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Zigong asked about friendship. The Master said, “Give loyal advice and guide gently; if he does not accept it, stop—do not humiliate yourself.”
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Sima Niu asked about the noble person (junzi). The Master said, “The noble person has no anxiety and no fear.”He asked further, “Is being free from anxiety and fear alone enough to be called a noble person?”The Master replied, “When one examines oneself inwardly and finds no guilt, what is there to worry or…
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Sima Niu asked about humaneness. The Master said, “A humane person speaks with restraint and caution.”Sima Niu asked, “Is speaking with restraint alone enough to be called humane?”The Master replied, “Since practicing humaneness is so difficult, how could one speak about it without caution?”
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The Master said, “Hui is nearly there in moral perfection – yet he is often destitute. Ci does not accept his fate; instead, he engages in trade and commerce, and his market predictions are frequently correct.”