The Master said, “If you simply correct yourself, what difficulties could you encounter in government service? If you cannot correct yourself, how can you expect to correct others?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, If you can learn to correct yourself, what trouble could you have in administering government? But if you cannot correct yourself, how can you hope to correct others?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
The Master said, “ ‘If someone would simply employ me, within a single year I could put things into some kind of order, and within three years the transformation would be complete.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, If someone were to employ me in government, in one year I could show what I can do. And in three years, I could bring things to completion.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
The Master said, “Imagine a person who can recite the several hundred odes by heart but, when delegated a governmental task, is unable to carry it out, or when sent abroad as an envoy, is unable to engage in repartee. No matter how many odes he might have memorized, what good are they to him?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
The Master said, A man may be able to recite all three hundred odes, but if you assign him as an envoy to some neighboring state and he can’t give his answers unassisted, then no matter how many odes he might know, what good is he?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
Confucius responded, “To ‘govern’ means to be ‘correct’. If you set an example by being correct yourself, who will dare to be incorrect?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Ji Kangzi asked Confucius about government. Confucius replied, To govern is to put to rights. If you lead in the right direction, who will dare do what is not right?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
Confucius responded, “Let the lord be a true lord, the ministers true ministers, the fathers true fathers, and the sons true sons.”
The Duke replied, “Well put! Certainly if the lord is not a true lord, the ministers not true ministers, the fathers not true fathers, and the sons not true sons, even if there is sufficient grain, will I ever get to eat it?”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Duke Jing of Qi questioned Confucius about government. Confucius replied, Let the ruler be a ruler; the subject, a subject; the father, a father; the son, a son.
The duke said, Splendid! For if indeed the ruler is not a ruler, the subject not a subject, the father not a father, the son not a son, then although there is grain, how will I be able to eat it?
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
The Master said, “Simply make sure there is sufficient food, sufficient armaments, and that you have the confidence of the common people.”
Zigong said, “If sacrificing one of these three things became unavoidable, which would you sacrifice first?”
The Master replied, “I would sacrifice the armaments.”
Zigong said, “If sacrificing one of the two remaining things became unavoidable, which would you sacrifice next?”
The Master replied, “I would sacrifice the food. Death has always been with us, but a state cannot stand once it has lost the confidence of the people.”
Confucius, & Slingerland, E. (2003). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries. Hackett Publishing.
Zigong asked about government. The Master said, You need enough food, enough weaponry, and the trust of the common people.
Zigong said, If you had to do without one of these, which of the three would you do without first?
Do without weapons.
And if you had to do without one of the other two, which would it be?
The Master said, Do without food. From times past, everyone has to die. But without the trust of the common people, you get nowhere.
Confucius, & Watson, B. (2007). The Analects of Confucius. Columbia University Press.
