Mencius said, 'There is a nobility of Heaven, and there is a nobility of man. Benevolence, righteousness, self-consecration, and fidelity, with unwearied joy in these virtues; these constitute the nobility of Heaven. To be a kung, a ch'ing, or a tâ-fû; this constitutes the nobility of man.
'The men of antiquity cultivated their nobility of Heaven, and the nobility of man came to them in its train.
'The men of the present day cultivate their nobility of Heaven in order to seek for the nobility of man, and when they have obtained that, they throw away the other: their delusion is extreme. The issue is simply this, that they must lose that nobility of man as well.'~ James Legge translation via nothingistic.org ~
Go here to read the introductory post to this serialized version of the Works of Mencius.
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