19
Yen Yüan asked Confucius, "I would like [to be able] to regard
[my] poverty as wealth, to take [my] mean position as a noble one,
to make myself esteemed without recourse to physical violence, to
enjoy friendly relations with officials, and for the rest of my life
have no trouble—would this not certainly be worth while?"
Confucius said, "Excellent, Hui. Now if one regards poverty
as wealth, knowing when he has enough, he is without desire. If
one takes a mean position to be a noble one, being yielding, he is
possessed of li. If one is esteemed without recourse to physical
violence, being respectful, he offends against no one. If one for
his whole life has no trouble, it is because he chooses his words
before speaking. One like Hui is perfect. The saints of antiquity
themselves were no better than this."
