1. The Master said, 'For a man to sacrifice to a spirit which does not belong to him is flattery. 2. 'To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.'
1. The Master said, 'For a man to sacrifice to a spirit which does not belong to him is flattery. 2. 'To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.'
- Source
- The Analects of Confucius (James Legge English translation)
Book II, complete printed chapter XXIV; James Legge translation; Undated digitized James Legge English edition; printed publication year/publisher not supplied in this cached text
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- attributed · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- c. 515 BC · ancient
traditional author lifetime midpoint (551–479 BCE), Stanford Encyclopedia; not quotation composition date; not composition date. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
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Word-matched topics
The voice behind the words.
The Analects transmit collected sayings and representations of Master Kong, rather than an independently authenticated author manuscript. Traditional lifetime551–479BCE follows Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; the Gutenberg catalogue uses552–480BCE. Only complete Master-speech chapters are represented here; other speakers and dialogue remain held.
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