The Master said, Why should he? A gentleman might be got to the well, but not trapped into it, He may be cheated, but not fooled.
25. The Master said, By breadth of reading and the ties of courtesy, a gentleman is kept, too, from false paths.
26. The Master saw Nan-tzu.[62] Tzu-lu was displeased.
The Master took an oath, saying, If I have done wrong, may Heaven forsake me, may Heaven forsake me!
27. The Master said, The highest minds cleave to the Centre, the Common. They have long been rare among the people.
28. Tzu-kung said, To treat the people with bounty and help the many, how were that? Could it be called love?
The Master said, What has this to do with love? Must it not be holiness? Yao and Shun[63] still yearned for this. Seeking a foothold for self, love finds a foothold for others; seeking light for itself, it enlightens others too. To learn from the near at hand may be called the clue to love.
FOOTNOTES:
[48] The disciple Chung-kung.
[49] The disciple Yen Yüan.