Selections from the Analects

1:1 The Master said, “To learn, and at due times to practice what one has learned, is that not also a pleasure? To have friends come from afar, is that not also a joy? To go unrecognized, yet without being embittered, is that not also to be a noble person?”

子曰：“学而时习之，不亦悦乎？有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？人不知而不愠，不亦君子乎？”

1:2 Master You [You Ruo] said, “Among those who are filial toward their parents and fraternal toward their brothers, those who are inclined to offend against their superiors are few indeed. Among hose who are disinclined to offend against their superiors, there have never been any who are yet inclined to create disorder. The noble person concerns himself with the root; when the root is established, the Way is born. Being filial and fraternal– is this not the root of humaneness?”

有子曰：“其为人也孝悌而好犯上者，鲜矣。不好犯上而好作乱者，未之有也。君子务本，本立而道生。孝悌也者，其为仁之本与？”

2:3 The Master said, “Lead them by means of regulations and keep order among them through punishments, and the people will evade them and will lack any sense of shame. Lead them through moral force(de) and keep order among them through rites(li), and they will have a sense of shame and will also correct themselves.”

子曰：导之以政，齐之以德，民免而无耻。导之以德，齐之以礼，有耻且格。

2:11 Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius about government. Confucius replied, “Let the ruler be a ruler; the minister, a minister; the father, a father; the son, a son.” “Excellent,” said the duke. “Truly, if the ruler is not a ruler, the subject is not a subject, the father is not a father, and the son is not a son, though I have grain, will I get to eat it?”

齐景公问政于孔子。孔子对曰：“君君，臣臣，父父，子子。”公曰：“善哉！信如君不君，臣不臣，父不父，子不子，虽有粟，吾得而食诸？”

15:38 The Master said, ” In education there should be no class distinctions.”

子曰：“有教无类。”

16:8 Confucius said, “The noble person has three objects of awe: he is in awe of the ordinances of Heaven (tianming); he is in awe of the great man’ and he is in awe of the words of the sage. The small man , not knowing the ordinances of Heaven, is not in awe of them, he is disrespectful toward great men; and he ridicules the words of the sages.”

孔子曰：“君子有三畏：畏天命，畏大人，畏圣人之言。小人不知天命而不畏也，狎大人，侮圣人之言。”