The Master said, “Zang Wuzhong used his fief of Fang to demand that the ruler of Lu appoint his descendants as successors. Even if someone claims he was not coercing his lord, I do not believe it.”
Confucius asked Gongming Jia about Gongshu Wenzi, saying, “Is it true that your master never speaks, never laughs, and never takes anything?”Gongming Jia replied, “The person who told you that exaggerated. In fact, my master speaks only when the time is right – so people do not dislike his words; he laughs only when…
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.”
Ran You returned late from court. The Master asked, “Why so late?” He replied, “There was government business.” The Master corrected him, “That was merely administrative affairs. If there were truly matters of state policy, even if I were not employed, I would surely have heard about them.”
Zigong asked about friendship. The Master said, “Give loyal advice and guide gently; if he does not accept it, stop—do not humiliate yourself.”
The Master said, “If the noble person studies widely in cultural texts and disciplines himself with ritual propriety, he will not stray from the right path!”