The Master said, “When the state is well governed, speak uprightly and act uprightly; when the state is poorly governed, act uprightly but speak modestly and cautiously.”
Yuan Xian asked Confucius what constituted “shame.”The Master said, “When the state is well governed, it is right to draw a salary as an official; but when the state is poorly governed, to still draw a salary is shameful.”Yuan Xian then asked, “If someone can suppress competitiveness, boastfulness, resentment, and desire, can he be…
The Master said, “The noble person (Confucian gentleman) is easy to work with but hard to please. If you try to please him in ways that violate the Way (Dao), he will not be pleased; yet when he employs others, he uses them according to their abilities. The petty person is hard to work…
Confucius said, “Wearing a tattered cotton robe and standing beside someone clad in luxurious fox or badger fur – yet feeling no shame: perhaps only Zilu can do this! As the Odes say, ‘Not envious, not greedy – how could one not be good?’ ” Zilu recited this verse for the rest of his…
What is meant by “making one’s intentions sincere” is not deceiving oneself. It is like hating a foul odor or loving a beautiful color – this is what is called self-satisfaction (or inner authenticity). Therefore, the gentleman must be especially vigilant when alone.
– Wen Tianxiang By virtue of the classics, painstakingly I rose to serve my state;Four years of war have passed, with our banners desolate.Our land, torn asunder, drifts like catkins in the gale;My life, adrift and battered, like duckweed in the rain’s assail.At Huangkong Shoal, I sighed for the fears that once prevailed;On Lingding…
Mencius said to Yuezheng Zi (Yuezheng Ke): “Your coming here with Zi Ao is merely for the sake of food and drink.I never expected that someone who has studied the ancient Way would stoop to seeking just a meal!”