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The Master said, “Clever words corrupt virtue; lacking patience in small matters disrupts great plans.”
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The Master said, “If a person speaks without any sense of shame, it will be difficult for him to carry out what he says.”
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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…
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Yuan Xian asked Confucius what constituted “shame.”The Master said, “When the state is well governed, it is right to draw a salary as an official; but when the state is poorly governed, to still draw a salary is shameful.”Yuan Xian then asked, “If someone can suppress competitiveness, boastfulness, resentment, and desire, can he be…
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The Master said, “Firmness, resoluteness, simplicity, and cautious speech—these qualities bring one close to benevolence/humaneness.”
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Confucius said, “I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as they love beauty.”