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There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.

Mencius

It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.
MENCIUS

Authority Difficult Family Government
A man must not be without shame, for the shame of being without shame is shamelessness indeed.
MENCIUS

Character Existence Men Shame
Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do.
MENCIUS

Decision Men Vigor
Human nature is good, just as water seeks low ground. There is no man who is not good, just as there is no water that does not flow downward.
MENCIUS

Goodness Human Humanity Men Nature Water
If the prince of a State love benevolence, he will have no opponent in all the empire.
MENCIUS

Enemy Government Love
Evil exists to glorify the good. Evil is negative good. It is a relative term. Evil can be transmuted into good. What is evil to one at one time, becomes good at another time to somebody else.
MENCIUS

Deep Evil Goodness Negative Perspective Philosophy Spiritual
He who wishes to be benevolent will not be rich.
MENCIUS

Choice Himself Rich
Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.
MENCIUS

Duty Responsibility Roots
Virtue alone is not sufficient for the exercise of government; laws alone cannot carry themselves into practice.
MENCIUS

Alone Enough Exercise Government Law Practice Virtue
The people turn in allegiance to Humanity, as surely as water flows downward or as a wild animal takes cover in the wilderness.
MENCIUS

Animal Humanity People Water Wild
When Heaven is about to confer a great office upon you, it first exercises your mind with suffering and your sinews and bones with toil.
MENCIUS

Greatness Heaven Suffering
The regular path of virtue is to be pursued without any bend, and from no view to emolument.
MENCIUS

Path View Virtue
He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature.
MENCIUS

Himself Mind Nature
Where it is permissible both to die and not to die, it is an abuse of valour to die.
MENCIUS

Death Freedom
So I like life and I like righteousness; if I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go and choose righteousness.
MENCIUS

Choice Justice Right Togetherness
He who goes to the bottom of his own heart knows his own nature; And knowing his own nature, he knows heaven.
MENCIUS

Heart Heaven Philosophy

There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.

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There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.

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