CONFUCIUS (K'UNG FU-TZU)*
551-479 B.C.
Good Behaviour
The Master said, A young man's duty is to behave well to his parents at home and to his elders abroad, to be cautious in giving
promises and punctual in keeping them, to have kindly feelings
towards everyone, but seek the intimacy of the Good. If, when all
this is done, he has any energy to spare, then let him study the
polite arts.
Analects, I, 6, trans. Arthur Waley
The Master said, (the good man) does not grieve that other people do not recognize his merits. His only anxiety is lest he should
fail to recognize theirs.
Ibid., I, 16
The Master said, A gentleman takes as much trouble to discover
what is right as lesser men take to discover what will pay.
Ibid.,IV,16
Jan Jung asked about goodness. The Master said, Behave when
away from home as though you were in the presence of an important guest. Deal with the common people as though you were officiating at an important sacrifice. Do not do to others what you
would not like yourself. Then there will be no feelings of opposition to you, whether it is the affairs of a State that you are handling
or the affairs of a family.
Ibid., XII
Someone said, What do you say concerning the principle that
injury should be recompensed with kindness? The Master said,
*The Analects is a collection of sayings in the Confucian tradition. They are
traditionally ascribed to Confucius himself, but probably few of them contain his
actual words. (Ed.)
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Humanist Anthology
With what then will you recompense kindness? Recompense
injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.
Ibid., XN, 36, trans. JamesLegge
The Art of Government
Tzu-Chang asked, What must a man do, that he may therebybe
fitted to govern the land? The Master said, He must pay attention
to the Five Lovely Things and put away from him the FourUgly
Things. Tzu-Chang said, What are they, that you call the FIVe
Lovely Things? The Master said, A gentleman can be bounteous
without extravagance, can get work out of people without arousing resentment, has longings but is never covetous, is proudbut
never insolent, inspires awe but is never ferocious ....
Tzu-Chang said, What are they, that you call the Four Ugly
Things? The Master said, Putting men to death without having
taught them (the right); that is called savagery. Expecting the
completion of tasks, without giving due warning; that is called
oppression. To be dilatory about giving orders, but to expect
absolute punctuality; that is called being a tormentor. And similarly, though meaning to let a man have something, to be grudgIng about bringing it out from Within; that is called behaving likea
petty functionary.
Ibid., XX, 2, trans. Arthur Waley
THUCYDIDES
c. 471-401 B.C.
Funeral Oration of Pericles
:~~~~~:;~~
B.C.
;~e speech made by Pericles, Chief Minister of Athens, at the
ernans who fell in the first year of the Peloponnesian War, 431
Our ~o~ernment is not copied from those of other states' we are
: ~eom~c~~~~e~,rather than they to us. Our constitution is called
of the man Th ecause power IS In the hands, not of the few, but
y. e law treats all men alike in their private disputes:
HUMANIST
ANTHOLOGY
FROM CONFUCIUS TO ATIENBOROUGH
EDITED BY
MARGARET KNIGHT
REVISED BY
JAMES HERRICK
PREFACE BY EDWARD BLISHEN
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