The Master said, “The noble person seeks the Way, not sustenance. In farming, hunger may still occur; in studying, official emolument often follows. Thus, the noble person worries about the Way, not about poverty.”
The Master said, “To have faults and not correct them – that is truly a fault.”
The Master said, “Clever words corrupt virtue; lacking patience in small matters disrupts great plans.”
The Master said, “The noble person worries that after his death, his name will not be commensurate with his virtue – that he will not be remembered worthily.”
The Master said, “The noble person takes righteousness as his substance, practices it through ritual propriety, expresses it with humility, and completes it through trustworthiness. Truly a noble person!”
The Master said, “How upright was Shi Yu! When the state was well governed, he was as straight as an arrow; when the state was poorly governed, he was still as straight as an arrow.What a noble person was Qu Boyu! When the state was well governed, he served in office; when the state…
The Master said, “A thoroughbred horse is praised not for its strength, but for its virtue.”
The Master said, “The noble person is ashamed when his words exceed his actions.”
Zilu asked how to serve a ruler. The Master said, “Do not deceive him, but dare to remonstrate with him openly – even if it offends him.”