which I cannot claim for myself. He is truly benevolent, and is free from care; is truly wise, and is free from delusions; is truly brave, and is free from fear.—Nay, replied Tzǔ Kung, these virtues are our Master's own.[1]
The Master said: Is not he a sage who neither anticipates deceit nor suspects bad faith in others, yet is prompt to detect them when they appear?
Some one asked: How do you regard the principle of returning good for evil?—The Master said: What, then, is to be the return for good? Rather should you return justice for injustice, and good for good.[2]
Tzǔ Lu asked about the conduct of the princely man.[3] The Master said: He cultivates himself so as to gain in self-respect.—Does he rest content with that?—He cultivates himself, was the reply, so as to give happiness to others.—And is he content with that?—He cultivates himself so as to confer peace and prosperity on the whole people.
- ↑ This is surely the obvious rendering, yet all previous translators have taken the second tao in the sense of "to say." Thus Legge has "Master, that is what you yourself say."
- ↑ The principle of returning good for evil, which is here apparently represented as a well-known ethical doctrine, was first enunciated, so far as wo know, by Lao Tzǔ. Confucius rejects this vain idealism, and advocates the much sounder and more practical basis for society given in the text.
- ↑ Here chün tzǔ seems almost to denote an actual prince, not merely a man with princely qualities.
