"Artful speech is the confusion of Virtue. Impatience over little things
introduces confusion into great schemes.

"What is disliked by the masses needs inquiring into; so also does that
which they have a preference for.

"A man may give breadth to his principles: it is not principles (in
themselves) that give breadth to the man.

"Not to retract after committing an error may itself be called error.

"If I have passed the whole day without food and the whole night without
sleep, occupied with my thoughts, it profits me nothing: I were better
engaged in learning.

"The superior man deliberates upon how he may walk in truth, not upon
what he may eat. The farmer may plough, and be on the way to want: the
student learns, and is on his way to emolument. To live a right life is
the concern of men of nobler minds: poverty gives them none.

"Whatsoever the intellect may attain to, unless the humanity within is
powerful enough to keep guard over it, is assuredly lost, even though it
be gained.

"If there be intellectual attainments, and the humanity within is
powerful enough to keep guard over them, yet, unless (in a ruler) there
be dignity in his rule, the people will fail to show him respect.

"Again, given the intellectual attainments, and humanity sufficient to
keep watch over them, and also dignity in ruling, yet if his movements