The Analects (Classics)

9. Confucius said, ‘Those who are born with knowledge are the highest. Next come those who attain knowledge through study. Next again come those who turn to study after having been vexed by difficulties. The common people, in so far as they make no effort to study even after having been vexed by difficulties, are the lowest.’

39. The Master said, ‘In instruction there is no separation into categories.’

15. The Master said, ‘If one learns from others but does not think, one will be bewildered. If, on the other hand, one thinks but does not learn from others, one will be in peril.’

16. The Master said, ‘Ssu, only with a man like you can one discuss the Odes. Tell such a man something and he can see its relevance to what he has not been told.’ The Master said, ‘It is not the failure of others to appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs.

13. Tzu-kung said, ‘If you had a piece of beautiful jade here, would you put it away safely in a box or would you try to sell it for a good price?’ The Master said, ‘Of course I would sell it. Of course I would sell it. All I am waiting for is the right offer.’

22. The Master said, ‘Even when walking in the company of two other men, I am bound to be able to learn from them. The good points of the one I copy; the bad points of the other I correct in myself.’

1. The Master said, ‘I transmit but do not innovate; I am truthful in what I say and devoted to antiquity. I venture to compare myself to our Old P’eng.’1

28. The Master said, ‘There are presumably men who innovate without possessing knowledge, but that is not a fault I have. I use my ears widely and follow what is good in what I have heard; I use my eyes widely and retain what I have seen in my mind.8 This constitutes a lower level of knowledge.’

22. Fan Ch’ih asked about wisdom. The Master said, ‘To work for the things the common people have a right to and to keep one’s distance from the gods and spirits while showing them reverence can be called wisdom.’ Fan Ch’ih asked about benevolence. The Master said, ‘The benevolent man reaps the benefit only after overcoming difficulties. That can b