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Confucius said, “Those who understand by birth are the highest; those who understand through learning come next; those who learn only after encountering difficulties are yet lower; and those who encounter difficulties but still do not learn – these are the lowest of the people.”
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Confucius said, “The noble person has three things to guard against: in youth, when one’s vital energies (xue qi) are not yet settled, guard against lust; in prime adulthood, when vital energies are at their strongest and most vigorous, guard against contentiousness; in old age, when vital energies have declined, guard against greed.”
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When speaking of Yan Hui, Confucius said, “What a pity! I saw him constantly advancing – I never saw him stop.”
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Yan Hui sighed deeply and said, “The more I look up to the Master’s Way, the higher it appears; the more I delve into it, the firmer it becomes. Just when I think I see it ahead of me, suddenly it seems to be behind. My teacher guides people skillfully and step by step:…
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7.20 The Master said, “I for my part am not one of those who have innate knowledge. I am simply one who loves the past and who is diligent in investigating it.”
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7.2 The Master said, “I have listened in silence and noted what was said, I have never grown tired of learning nor wearied of teaching others what I have learnt. These at least are merits which I can confidently claim.”
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The Master said, “At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, l had planted my feet firm upon the ground. At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities. At fifty, I knew what were the biddings of Heaven. At sixty, I heard them with docile ear. At seventy, I could follow the…