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Qu Boyu sent an envoy to Confucius. Confucius invited him to sit and asked, “What is your master doing these days?”The envoy replied, “My master wishes to reduce his faults, but feels he has not yet succeeded.”After the envoy left, Confucius exclaimed, “What an excellent envoy! What an excellent envoy!”
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Gao Chai is overly simple-minded; Zeng Shen is slow-witted; Zi Zhang is one-sided and extreme; Zi You (Zilu) is coarse and impetuous.
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Confucius said, “When one hears stern, principled words that accord with ritual and righteousness, can one fail to obey? But what matters is genuinely correcting oneself. When one hears gentle, agreeable words of guidance, can one fail to feel pleased? But what matters is carefully reflecting on their meaning. If one merely feels pleased…
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5.27 The Master said, “In vain have I looked for a single man capable of seeing his own faults and bringing the charge home against himself.”
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4.3, 4.4 Of the adage “Only a benevolent man knows how to like people, knows how to dislike them,” the Master said, “If the will be set on virtue, there will be no practice of wickedness.”
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Master Zeng said, “Every day I examine myself on these three points: in acting on behalf of others, have I always been loyal to their interests? In intercourse with my friends, have I always been true to my word? Have I failed to repeat the precepts that have been handed down to me?”