The Master said, "Governing by virtue is like the North Star; it keeps its place, and all the stars bow to it."

        The Master said, "Of the three hundred poems of the *Classic of Poetry*, one sentence may summarize them: 'May there be no perverse thoughts.'"

        The Master said, "If the people are led by laws and kept in order by punishments, they will avoid the penalties but feel no shame. If they are led by virtue and kept in order by propriety, they will have a sense of shame and will be transformed."

        The Master said, "At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no doubts; at fifty, I knew the will of Heaven; at sixty, my ear was attuned to the truth; at seventy, I could follow my heart's desire without overstepping the boundaries."

        Meng Yi-zi asked about filial piety. The Master said, "Do not oppose them." While driving the carriage, the Master told Fan Chi, "Meng Sun asked me about filial piety, and I replied, 'Do not oppose them.'" Fan Chi asked, "What does this mean?" The Master said, "While they are alive, serve them with propriety; when they die, bury them with propriety and offer sacrifices to them with propriety."

        Meng Wu-bo asked about filial piety. The Master said, "Parents are most anxious about the illness of their children."

        Zi You asked about filial piety. The Master said, "Nowadays, filial piety is considered as simply providing for parents. But even dogs and horses are provided for; if there is no respect, how can one distinguish the two?"

        Zi Xia asked about filial piety. The Master said, "The difficult part is the expression. When there is work, the children take upon themselves the toil; when there is wine and food, the elders eat first. Can this alone be called filial piety?"

        The Master said, "I spoke with Yan Hui all day, and he never contradicted me; he seemed dull. But when he retired and I examined his private reflections, they were sufficient to express the truth. Yan Hui is not dull."

        The Master said, "Observe what a man does, consider how he does it, and examine what he finds contentment in. How can a man hide his true nature? How can he hide it?"

        The Master said, "One who reviews the old to know the new is fit to be a teacher."

        The Master said, "The gentleman is not a mere tool."

        Zi Gong asked about the gentleman. The Master said, "He acts first and speaks later."

        The Master said, "The gentleman is comprehensive and not partisan; the small man is partisan and not comprehensive."

        The Master said, "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous."

        The Master said, "To study heterodox doctrines is only to bring harm!"

        The Master said, "You, Zilu, do you understand what knowledge is? To know what you know and what you do not know—that is true knowledge."

        Zi Zhang studied for the sake of official salary. The Master said, "If one hears much and remains doubtful of the gaps, and is cautious in what remains to be said, there will be few complaints. If one sees much and remains cautious of the perils, and is careful in what remains to be done, there will be few regrets. With few complaints in speech and few regrets in action, the salary will follow of its own accord."

        Duke Ai asked, "How can one make the people obey?" Confucius replied, "Exalt the upright and place them above the crooked, and the people will obey; exalt the crooked and place them above the upright, and the people will not obey."

        Ji Kang-zi asked, "How can I make the people respectful, loyal, and industrious?" The Master said, "If you treat them with dignity, they will be respectful; if you are filial and compassionate, they will be loyal; if you exalt the good and teach those who are incapable, they will be industrious."

        Someone asked Confucius, "Why do you not govern?" The Master replied, "The *Book of Documents* says: 'Be filial to your parents, be friendly to your brothers, and then apply this to governance.' This is also governing; why must it be in the form of official governance?"

        The Master said, "A man without trustworthiness—I do not know how he can survive. A large carriage without a yoke, a small carriage without a pole—how could they move?"

        Zi Zhang asked, "Is it possible to know the ways of ten generations ago?" The Master said, "The Yin dynasty followed the rites of the Xia; what was added or subtracted is knowable. The Zhou dynasty followed the rites of the Yin; what was added or subtracted is knowable. For whoever succeeds the Zhou, even after a hundred generations, it would be knowable."

        The Master said, "To offer sacrifices to a spirit that is not one's own is flattery; to see what is right and not do it is cowardice."