quote · Words worth keeping
The Master said, 'May not Shun be instanced as having governed efficiently without exertion? What did he do? He did nothing but gravely and reverently occupy his royal seat.'
The Master said, 'May not Shun be instanced as having governed efficiently without exertion? What did he do? He did nothing but gravely and reverently occupy his royal seat.'
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Confucius (traditional attribution)
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- c. 515 BC · ancient
traditional author lifetime midpoint (551–479 BCE), Stanford Encyclopedia; not quotation composition date; not necessarily a composition date.
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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