The understanding of the small man does not go beyond the details of giving presents and writing memoranda. He wears out his spirit in what is inconsequential and meaningless but wishes to participate in guiding others to the tao and bring about the unity of all things. But he falls into error regarding space…
The sage [insightful] regards what is thought to be necessary as unnecessary, and therefore he is not at war with himself. The multitude of men think what is unnecessary is necessary, therefore they are at war with themselves. Those who rely upon the strategy of war resort to it in all their actions. But…
A man of Zheng, called Huan, studied his books in a place called Quishi. In three years he became a Confucian scholar, bringing benefits to the three classes of his family relations as the yellow river extends its beneficial influence for nine li. He encouraged his younger brother to study the doctrines of Mo,…
Bohun Maoren replied, “It is useless. I have said to you that they would come to you and they have. It is not you that have caused them to come to you, but you cannot prevent them from coming to you. Of what use then was my warning? It was the outward manifestation of…
“The goodness of service does not imply that it is the same on all occasions. Serving parents to provide contentment does not prescribe how it is to be done; in festivities enjoyment does not depend on the dishes that are used; in mourning as an expression of grief the rituals are insignificant. Rites determine…
Confucius was despondent and said, “May I ask what is meant by complete truth?” The stranger replied, “Complete truth is pure sincerity at its most perfect. Without pure sincerity one cannot move others. If one forces oneself to weep, however convincingly he does so, it is not true sorrow. If one forces oneself to…
Confucius looked disconsolate and sighed. …”I was twice driven from Lu; I had to flee from Wei; the tree under which I taught was cut down in Song; I was held in a state of siege between Chen and Cai. I do not know what transgressions I had committed that brought about the hardship…
Book 31 is a brief 5 page vignette of an encounter between Confucius and an anonymous Fisherman. While on a roadway adjacent to a lake Confucius and his traveling companions are taking a break from the road. They are approached by this stranger who steps down from his boat. The man is described in…
The vain take pleasure in every good opinion they hear about themselves (abstracted entirely from the point of view of utility, and just as much removed from truth or falsity), just as they suffer from every bad opinion. This is because they submit – they feel submissive – to both good and bad opinions…
Wu Yue said, “The small man seeks wealth. The superior man seeks renown. They differ in the way they frame their mind and transform their nature. However, as they both cast away what they possess in pursuit of what they lack, they are alike. Hence it is said, ‘Do not be a small man;…
