Niu Lao was Emperor Guangwu’s childhood friend. He once claimed an upright man should not befriend an emperor. After Liu Xiu took the throne, Niu kept declining imperial summons by feigning illness and wearing plain clothes, clinging to his integrity.
Principled Wang Ba quit officialdom under Wang Mang. Summoned in Eastern Han, he refused to address the emperor as his lord. A slander halted Hou Ba’s plan to yield his post to him. Wang retreated to a humble cottage and declined all later imperial summons.
Mencius depicts Sage Shun’s balanced mind. He felt fully at peace enduring plain food in poverty, yet stayed unperturbed amid royal splendor after ascending the throne, undisturbed by either humble or glorious external fortunes.
Mencius divides people into two types: ordinary folks wait for sage King Wen to inspire them, while heroic moral scholars forge ahead independently. It highlights inner initiative, urging intellectuals to uphold virtue without relying on favorable rulers.
Others have riches; I have a spirit of benevolence. Others have high rank; I have a sense of righteousness.