| Five Hundred Years: |
Someone asked: When Confucius knew that his dao could not be realized, then where did he take it?
Yangzi said: To junzi of later generations.
The other said: If a merchant were like this, he would be dull-witted indeed!
Yangzi said: The more sharply a common man seeks profit, the duller he becomes. The duller the sage becomes, the sharper his profit. He would not feel regrets before a hundred [generations of] sages; he would not be ashamed before the whole world. Among men, none can surpass him. Honor without equal, or wealth without comparison: which profit is greater? |
