At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right.

The superior man does what is proper to the station in which he is; he does not desire to go beyond this.

Let a man be stimulated by poetry, established by the rules of propriety, and perfected by music.

With a heavy load and a long journey

In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations, they first harmonized their families. Wishing to harmonize their families, they first cultivated themselves. Wishing to cultivate themselves, they first rectified their minds. Those who wished to rectify their minds first made their intentions sincere.

A happy union with wife and child is like the music of lutes and harps.

The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is right, whereas the petty man understands profit.” (Analects 4.16)