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The Master said, “How upright was Shi Yu! When the state was well governed, he was as straight as an arrow; when the state was poorly governed, he was still as straight as an arrow.What a noble person was Qu Boyu! When the state was well governed, he served in office; when the state…
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Someone asked, “What about repaying resentment with virtue?”The Master replied, “Then what would you use to repay virtue? Repay resentment with uprightness, and repay virtue with virtue.”
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The Master said, “Duke Wen of Jin was crafty but not upright; Duke Huan of Qi was upright but not crafty.”
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Duke Ye said to Confucius, “In my region, there is a man known for his uprightness: when his father stole a sheep, the son testified against him.”Confucius replied, “The kind of uprightness we value is different. A father conceals for his son, and a son conceals for his father—uprightness lies precisely within this mutual…
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The Master said, “If one can first rectify his own conduct, what difficulty could there be in governing? If he cannot rectify himself, how can he rectify others?”
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It is better to preserve the innate simplicity of one’s nature and eschew sophistication, thereby leave a spirit of uprightness in the world.