657
The Master said, "When a man is not in the habit of saying-'What shall I think of this? What shall I think of this?' I can indeed do nothing with him!"

658
The Master said, "When a number of people are together, for a whole day, without their conversation turning on righteousness, and when they are fond of carrying out the suggestions of a small shrewdness;-theirs is indeed a hard case."

659
The Master said, "The superior man in everything considers righteousness to be essential. He performs it according to the rules of propriety. He brings it forth in humility. He completes it with sincerity. This is indeed a superior man."

660
The Master said, "The superior man is distressed by his want of ability. He is not distressed by men's not knowing him."

661
The Master said, "The superior man dislikes the thought of his name not being mentioned after his death."

662
The Master said, "What the superior man seeks, is in himself. What the mean man seeks, is in others."

663
The Master said, "The superior man is dignified, but does not wrangle. He is sociable, but not a partisan."

664
The Master said, "The superior man does not promote a man simply on account of his words, nor does he put aside good words because of the man."

665
Tsze-kung asked, saying, "Is there one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life?" The Master said, "Is not RECIPROCITY such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."

666
The Master said, "In my dealings with men, whose evil do I blame, whose goodness do I praise, beyond what is proper? If I do sometimes exceed in praise, there must be ground for it in my examination of the individual.

667
"This people supplied the ground why the three dynasties pursued the path of straightforwardness."

668
The Master said, "Even in my early days, a historiographer would leave a blank in his text, and he who had a horse would lend him to another to ride. Now, alas! there are no such things."

669
The Master said, "Specious words confound virtue. Want of forbearance in small matters confounds great plans."

670
The Master said, "When the multitude hate a man, it is necessary to examine into the case. When the multitude like a man, it is necessary to examine into the case."

671
The Master said, "A man can enlarge the principles which he follows; those principles do not enlarge the man."

672
The Master said, "To have faults and not to reform them,-this, indeed, should be pronounced having faults."

673
The Master said, "I have been the whole day without eating, and the whole night without sleeping:-occupied with thinking. It was of no use. better plan is to learn."

674
The Master said, "The object of the superior man is truth. Food is not his object. There is plowing;-even in that there is sometimes want. So with learning;-emolument may be found in it. The superior man is anxious lest he should not get truth; he is not anxious lest poverty should come upon him."

675
The Master said, "When a man's knowledge is sufficient to attain, and his virtue is not sufficient to enable him to hold, whatever he may have gained, he will lose again.

676
"When his knowledge is sufficient to attain, and he has virtue enough to hold fast, if he cannot govern with dignity, the people will not respect him.

677
"When his knowledge is sufficient to attain, and he has virtue enough to hold fast; when he governs also with dignity, yet if he try to move the people contrary to the rules of propriety:-full excellence is not reached."

678
The Master said, "The superior man cannot be known in little matters; but he may be intrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be intrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters."

679
The Master said, "Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue."

680
The Master said, "Let every man consider virtue as what devolves on himself. He may not yield the performance of it even to his teacher."

681
The Master said, "The superior man is correctly firm, and not firm merely."

682
The Master said, "A minister, in serving his prince, reverently discharges his duties, and makes his emolument a secondary consideration."

683
The Master said, "In teaching there should be no distinction of classes."

684
The Master said, "Those whose courses are different cannot lay plans for one another."

685
The Master said, "In language it is simply required that it convey the meaning."

686
The music master, Mien, having called upon him, when they came to the steps, the Master said, "Here are the steps." When they came to the mat for the guest to sit upon, he said, "Here is the mat." When all were seated, the Master informed him, saying, "So and so is here; so and so is here."

687
The music master, Mien, having gone out, Tsze-chang asked, saying. "Is it the rule to tell those things to the music master?"

688
The Master said, "Yes. This is certainly the rule for those who lead the blind."

689
The head of the Chi family was going to attack Chwan-yu.

690
Zan Yu and Chi-lu had an interview with Confucius, and said, "Our chief, Chil is going to commence operations against Chwan-yu."

691
Confucius said, "Ch'iu, is it not you who are in fault here?

692
"Now, in regard to Chwan-yu, long ago, a former king appointed its ruler to preside over the sacrifices to the eastern Mang; moreover, it is in the midst of the territory of our state; and its ruler is a minister in direct connection with the sovereign: What has your chief to do with attacking it?"

693
Zan Yu said, "Our master wishes the thing; neither of us two ministers wishes it."

694
Confucius said, "Ch'iu, there are the words of Chau Zan, -'When he can put forth his ability, he takes his place in the ranks of office; when he finds himself unable to do so, he retires from it. How can he be used as a guide to a blind man, who does not support him when tottering, nor raise him up when fallen?'

695
"And further, you speak wrongly. When a tiger or rhinoceros escapes from his cage; when a tortoise or piece of jade is injured in its repository:-whose is the fault?"

696
Zan Yu said, "But at present, Chwan-yu is strong and near to Pi; if our chief do not now take it, it will hereafter be a sorrow to his descendants."

697
Confucius said. "Ch'iu, the superior man hates those declining to say-'I want such and such a thing,' and framing explanations for their conduct.