At 15 I set my heart on learning; At 30 I firmly took my stand; At 40 I had no delusions; At 50 I knew the Mandate of Heaven; At 60 my ear was attuned; At 70 I followed my heart's desire without overstepping the boundaries of right.

The Master said, "Wealth and honor are things that all people desire, and yet unless they are acquired in the proper way I will not abide them. Poverty and disgrace are things that all people hate, and yet unless they are avoided in the proper way I will not despise them. If the gentleman abandons ren, how can he be worthy of that name? The gentleman does not violate ren even for the amount of time required to eat a meal. Even in times of urgency or distress, he does not depart from it."

The virtuous man is driven by responsibility, the non-virtuous man is driven by profit.

In his dealings with the world, the gentleman is not invariably for or against anything. He is on the side of what is moral.

If you did not do so for the sake of riches,You must have done so for the sake of novelty.

If I understand Change, I shall make no great mistake in Life

The man who is master of himself drinks gravely and wisely.