The Sayings of Confucius

by Confucius

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Book IV - One's Will Set On Love

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1. The Master said, Love makes a spot beautiful: who chooses not to dwell in love, has he got wisdom?

2. The Master said, Loveless men cannot bear need long, they cannot bear fortune long. Loving men find peace in love, the wise find profit in it.

3. The Master said, Love alone can love others, or hate others.

4. The Master said, A will set on love is free from evil.

5. The Master said, Wealth and honours are what men desire; but do not go from the Way, to keep them. Lowliness and want are hated by men; but do not go from the Way, to escape them.

Shorn of love, is a gentleman worthy of the name? Not for one moment may a gentleman sin against love; he must not do so in flurry and haste, nor do so in utter overthrow.

6. The Master said, I have seen no one that loves love and hates uncharity. He that loves love will set nothing higher. The hater of uncharity is so given to love that no uncharity can enter into his life. If a man were to give his strength to love for one day, I have seen no one whose strength would fail him. There may be such men, but I have not seen one.

7. The Master said, A man and his faults are of a piece. By watching his faults we learn whether love be his.[14]

8. The Master said, To learn the Way at daybreak and die at eve were enough.

9. The Master said, A knight[36] in quest of the Way, who is ashamed of bad clothes and bad food, it is idle talking to.

10. The Master said, A gentleman has no likes or dislikes below heaven. He follows right.

11. The Master said, The gentleman cherishes mind, the small man cherishes dirt. Gentlemen trust in the law, the small man trusts in favour.

12. The Master said, The chase of gain is rich in hate.

13. The Master said, What is it to sway a kingdom by courteous yielding? If we cannot sway a kingdom by courteous yielding, what is our courtesy worth?

14. The Master said, Care not for want of place; care for thy readiness to fill one. Care not for being unknown, but seek to be worthy of note.

15. The Master said, One line, Shen,[37] runs through my Way.

Yes, said Tseng-tzu.

After the Master had left, the disciples asked what was meant.

Tseng-tzu said, The Master's Way is no more than faithfulness and fellow-feeling.

16. The Master said, The gentleman is learned in right; the small man is learned in gain.

[15]

17. The Master said, At sight of worth, think to grow like it; at sight of baseness, search thyself within.

18. The Master said, A father or a mother may be gently chidden. If thou seest they have no will to follow thee, be the more lowly, but do not give way; nor murmur at the trouble they give thee.

19. The Master said, Whilst thy father and mother are living, do not wander afar. If thou must travel, hold a set course.

20. The Master said, He that changes nothing in his father's ways for three years may be called pious.

21. The Master said, A father and mother's years must be borne in mind; with gladness on the one hand and fear on the other.

22. The Master said, The men of old were loth to speak, for not to live up to their words would have shamed them.

23. The Master said, We shall seldom get lost if we hold to main lines.

24. The Master said, A gentleman wishes to be slow to speak and quick to do.

25. The Master said, A great soul is never friendless: he has always neighbours.

26. Tzu-yu said, Nagging at kings brings disgrace, nagging at friends estrangement.

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FOOTNOTES:

[36] Shih: a gentleman entitled to bear arms, not a knight in armour.

[37] The disciple Tseng-tzu.