Sayings of the Master:--

"Let a ruler base his government upon virtuous principles, and he will
be like the pole-star, which remains steadfast in its place, while all
the host of stars turn towards it.

"The 'Book of Odes' contains three hundred pieces, but one expression in
it may be taken as covering the purport of all, viz., Unswerving
mindfulness.

"To govern simply by statute, and to reduce all to order by means of
pains and penalties, is to render the people evasive, and devoid of any
sense of shame.

"To govern upon principles of virtue, and to reduce them to order by the
Rules of Propriety, would not only create in them the sense of shame,
but would moreover reach them in all their errors.

"When I attained the age of fifteen, I became bent upon study. At
thirty, I was a confirmed student. At forty, nought could move me from
my course. At fifty, I comprehended the will and decrees of Heaven. At
sixty, my ears were attuned to them. At seventy, I could follow my
heart's desires, without overstepping the lines of rectitude."

To a question of Mang-i, as to what filial piety consisted in, the
master replied, "In not being perverse." Afterwards, when Fan Ch'i was
driving him, the Master informed him of this question and answer, and
Fan Ch'i asked, "What was your meaning?" The Master replied, "I meant
that the Rules of Propriety should always be adhered to in regard to
those who brought us into the world: in ministering to them while
living, in burying them when dead, and afterwards in the offering to
them of sacrificial gifts."

To a query of Mang Wu respecting filial piety, the Master replied,
"Parents ought to bear but one trouble--that of their own sickness."

To a like question put by Tsz-yu, his reply was this: "The filial piety
of the present day simply means the being able to support one's
parents--which extends even to the case of dogs and horses, all of which
may have something to give in the way of support. If there be no
reverential feeling in the matter, what is there to distinguish between
the cases?"

To a like question of Tsz-hia, he replied: "The manner is the
difficulty. If, in the case of work to be done, the younger folks simply
take upon themselves the toil of it; or if, in the matter of meat and
drink, they simply set these before their elders--is this to be taken as
filial piety?"

Once the Master remarked, "I have conversed with Hwui the whole day
long, and he has controverted nothing that I have said, as if he were
without wits. But when his back was turned, and I looked attentively at
his conduct apart from me, I found it satisfactory in all its issues.
No, indeed! Hwui is not without his wits."

Other observations of the Master:--

"If you observe what things people (usually) take in hand, watch their
motives, and note particularly what it is that gives them satisfaction,
shall they be able to conceal from you what they are? Conceal
themselves, indeed!

"Be versed in ancient lore, and familiarize yourself with the modern;
then may you become teachers.

"The great man is not a mere receptacle."

In reply to Tsz-kung respecting the great man:--

"What he first says, as a result of his experience, he afterwards
follows up.

"The great man is catholic-minded, and not one-sided. The common man is
the reverse.

"Learning, without thought, is a snare; thought, without learning, is a
danger.

"Where the mind is set much upon heterodox principles--there truly and
indeed is harm."

To the disciple Tsz-lu the Master said, "Shall I give you a lesson about
knowledge? When you know a thing, maintain that you know it; and when
you do not, acknowledge your ignorance. This is characteristic of
knowledge."

Tsz-chang was studying with an eye to official income. The Master
addressed him thus: "Of the many things you hear hold aloof from those
that are doubtful, and speak guardedly with reference to the rest; your
mistakes will then be few. Also, of the many courses you see adopted,
hold aloof from those that are risky, and carefully follow the others;
you will then seldom have occasion for regret. Thus, being seldom
mistaken in your utterances, and having few occasions for regret in the
line you take, you are on the high road to your preferment."

To a question put to him by Duke Ngai [2] as to what should be done in
order to render the people submissive to authority, Confucius replied,
"Promote the straightforward, and reject those whose courses are
crooked, and the thing will be effected. Promote the crooked and reject
the straightforward, and the effect will be the reverse."

When Ki K'ang [3] asked of him how the people could be induced to show
respect, loyalty, and willingness to be led, the Master answered, "Let
there be grave dignity in him who has the oversight of them, and they
will show him respect; let him be seen to be good to his own parents,
and kindly in disposition, and they will be loyal to him; let him
promote those who have ability, and see to the instruction of those who
have it not, and they will be willing to be led."

Some one, speaking to Confucius, inquired, "Why, sir, are you not an
administrator of government?" The Master rejoined, "What says the 'Book
of the Annals,' with reference to filial duty?--'Make it a point to be
dutiful to your parents and amicable with your brethren; the same duties
extend to an administrator.' If these, then, also make an administrator,
how am I to take your words about being an administrator?"

On one occasion the Master remarked, "I know not what men are good for,
on whose word no reliance can be placed. How should your carriages,
large or little, get along without your whipple-trees or swing-trees?"

Tsz-chang asked if it were possible to forecast the state of the country
ten generations hence. The Master replied in this manner: "The Yin
dynasty adopted the rules and manners of the Hia line of kings, and it
is possible to tell whether it retrograded or advanced. The Chow line
has followed the Yin, adopting its ways, and whether there has been
deterioration or improvement may also be determined. Some other line may
take up in turn those of Chow; and supposing even this process to go on
for a hundred generations, the result may be known."

Other sayings of the Master:--

"It is but flattery to make sacrificial offerings to departed spirits
not belonging to one's own family.

"It is moral cowardice to leave undone what one perceives to be right to
do."

[Footnote 2: Of Lu (Confucius's native State).]

[Footnote 3: Head of one of the "Three Families" of Lu.]