The Master sighed, “Alas! I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as he loves beauty (or sensual attraction).”
Note
This statement from the Analects of Confucius reflects his profound insight into human weakness and his lament over people’s tendency to prioritize desire over moral cultivation.
“Loving beauty” here broadly refers to the natural, intense, and spontaneous human attraction to sensory pleasures and external temptations – especially romantic or physical allure. In contrast, “loving virtue”involves pursuing inner moral qualities such as benevolence (humaneness), righteousness, ritual propriety, and wisdom, which typically require self-restraint, effort, and sustained commitment.
Confucius does not deny legitimate human desires; rather, he highlights a universal phenomenon: people often devote full energy to satisfying personal cravings but remain lukewarm or negligent toward moral self-cultivation. This gap between knowing what is right and actually doing it is the greatest obstacle to ethical practice.
By using the emphatic comparative structure “I have never seen anyone who… as much as…,” he conveys a tone of near despair – even a sage like himself, dedicated to moral education, could hardly find someone who pursued virtue with the same urgency and delight as one pursues sensual pleasure.
Yet this remark also carries an implicit challenge: if someone could redirect the passion they feel for beauty toward the pursuit of virtue, they would surely become a true noble person (junzi). This aligns with the Great Learning’s teaching: “Abhor evil as one abhors a foul odor; love goodness as one loves beauty – this is called self-satisfaction (authentic moral joy). “
Today, this observation remains strikingly relevant: in an age of material abundance and constant sensory stimulation, people are more prone to indulge in instant gratification while neglecting spiritual growth and ethical discipline.
In short, Confucius teaches: Most people are fervent in desire but indifferent to virtue; genuine self-cultivation requires loving the good as naturally and passionately as one loves beauty.
Further Reading
The Master said, “I have never seen one who truly loves benevolence or one who truly hates what is not benevolent. One who truly loves benevolence considers nothing superior to it; one who truly hates what is not benevolent practices benevolence by ensuring unvirtuousness does not touch him.” Analects 4.6 (Li Ren)
Both express disappointment at the rarity of deep, authentic moral passion – highlighting the gap between professed values and lived commitment.
The Master said, “I have never seen a truly resolute person.” Someone replied, “What about Shen Cheng?” The Master said, “Cheng is full of desires – how can he be resolute?” Analects 5.11
Links excessive desire directly to moral weakness – supporting the idea that unchecked craving undermines virtue.
“Abhor evil as one abhors a foul odor; love goodness as one loves beauty – this is called self-satisfaction (authentic moral joy).” The Great Learning (Da Xue Chapter 3) – though not from the Analects, frequently cited in Confucian commentary
Directly responds to Confucius’s lament by prescribing that moral feeling should become as instinctive as sensory preference.
子曰：「已矣乎！吾未見好德如好色者也。」
Leave a Reply