The Master sighed:“Alas! The Way will surely not be practiced in the world.”
Mencius said: “Speech without factual basis brings misfortune. And the one who bears the consequences of this misfortune is the person who blocks or suppresses the worthy.”
Mencius said: “If you love others but they do not respond with closeness, reflect on whether your own benevolence is genuine.If you govern people but fail to bring order, reflect on whether your wisdom is sufficient.If you treat others with ritual propriety but receive no response, reflect on whether your reverence is sincere.”
After Mencius left Qi state, his disciple Chong Yu asked him on the road: “Master, you seem troubled. Yet not long ago I heard you say yourself: ‘The noble person does not blame Heaven or resent others.’ Why do you now appear so disheartened?”
Mencius said: “Is the arrow-maker really less humane than the armor-maker?”
Mencius said, “Benevolence brings glory, whereas its absence leads to disgrace. Now people hate disgrace and benevolence, just like those who hate dampness but live in a low-lying area.