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Confucius said, “There are three kinds of beneficial friends and three kinds of harmful friends. Friendship with the upright, friendship with the trustworthy, and friendship with the well-informed – these are beneficial. Friendship with the fawning, friendship with the insincerely agreeable, and friendship with the glibly eloquent – these are harmful.”
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The Master said, “The noble person cannot be fully known through small matters, yet can be entrusted with great responsibilities; the petty person cannot be entrusted with great responsibilities, yet can be understood through small matters.”
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The Master said, “The noble person seeks from himself; the petty person seeks from others.”
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While in Chen, Confucius and his followers ran out of food. His disciples fell ill from hunger and could not get up. Zilu, visibly angry, came to see him and asked, “Can even a noble person (junzi) fall into such desperate straits?”The Master replied, “The noble person steadfastly endures poverty; when the petty person…
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Zigong was fond of criticizing others. The Master said, “Ci (Zigong), are you already so virtuous? As for me, I have no time for that.”
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The Master said, “The noble person aspires upward toward the Way, virtue, and heavenly principle; the petty person sinks downward toward private gain, desire, and trivial concerns.”
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The Master said, “There may be noble persons (junzi) who occasionally fall short of benevolence; but there has never been a petty person who truly attained benevolence.”
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The Master said, “The noble person is calm and composed but not arrogant; the petty person is arrogant but not calm.”