Tue 20 May 2008
Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?
The Master said, “To rule a country of a thousand chariots, there must be reverent attention to business, and sincerity; economy in expenditure, and love for men; and the employment of the people at the proper seasons.”
Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?
Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.
Have no friends not equal to yourself.
When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.
The Master said, “I will not be afflicted at men’s not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know men.”
Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
In festive ceremonies, it is better to be sparing than extravagant. In the ceremonies of mourning, it is better that there be deep sorrow than in minute attention to observances.
Riches and honors are what men desire. If they cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held. Poverty and meanness are what men dislike. If they cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be avoided.
He who acts with a constant view to his own advantage will be much murmured against.
The cautious seldom err.
The superior man wishes to be slow in his speech and earnest in his conduct.
Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.
What is the good of being ready with the tongue? They who encounter men with smartness of speech for the most part procure themselves hatred. I know not whether he be truly virtuous, but why should he show readiness of the tongue?”
They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.
The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills. The wise are active; the virtuous are tranquil. The wise are joyful; the virtuous are long-lived.
Respectfulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes laborious bustle; carefulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes timidity; boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination; straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness.
The people may be made to follow a path of action, but they may not be made to understand it.
When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of.
A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present? If he reach the age of forty or fifty, and has not made himself heard of, then indeed he will not be worth being regarded with respect.
Tsze-kung asked about government. The Master said, “The requisites of government are that there be sufficiency of food, sufficiency of military equipment, and the confidence of the people in their ruler.”
Tsze-kung said, “If it cannot be helped, and one of these must be dispensed with, which of the three should be foregone first?” “The military equipment,” said the Master.
Tsze-kung again asked, “If it cannot be helped, and one of the remaining two must be dispensed with, which of them should be foregone?” The Master answered, “Part with the food. From of old, death has been the lot of men; but if the people have no faith in their rulers, there is no standing for the state.”
Do not be desirous to have things done quickly; do not look at small advantages. Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.
Tsze-kung asked, saying, “What do you say of a man who is loved by all the people of his neighborhood?” The Master replied, “We may not for that accord our approval of him.” “And what do you say of him who is hated by all the people of his neighborhood?” The Master said, “We may not for that conclude that he is bad. It is better than either of these cases that the good in the neighborhood love him, and the bad hate him.”
The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue.
To be poor without murmuring is difficult. To be rich without being proud is easy.
He who requires much from himself and little from others, will keep himself from being the object of resentment.
The superior man does not promote a man simply on account of his words, nor does he put aside good words because of the man.
Tsze-kung asked, saying, “Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one’s life?” The Master said, “Is not RECIPROCITY such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”
In language it is simply required that it convey the meaning.
Confucius said, “There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth, when the physical powers are not yet settled, he guards against lust. When he is strong and the physical powers are full of vigor, he guards against quarrelsomeness. When he is old, and the animal powers are decayed, he guards against covetousness.”
Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men.
(from The Confucian Analects, c. 500 B.C. translated by James Legge, 1893)
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