The Master said, “Do not worry that others do not understand you; worry that you lack ability.”
The Master said, “If a person speaks without any sense of shame, it will be difficult for him to carry out what he says.”
Zigong asked about friendship. The Master said, “Give loyal advice and guide gently; if he does not accept it, stop—do not humiliate yourself.”
When a friend died and had no family to care for the funeral, Confucius said, “I will handle his burial.” When friends gave gifts – even something as valuable as a carriage and horses – he would not bow in thanks unless the gift was sacrificial meat.