quote · Words worth keeping
The Master said, 'Those who are without virtue cannot abide long either in a condition of poverty and hardship, or in a condition of enjoyment. The virtuous rest in virtue; the wise desire virtue.'
The Master said, 'Those who are without virtue cannot abide long either in a condition of poverty and hardship, or in a condition of enjoyment. The virtuous rest in virtue; the wise desire virtue.'
Approximate historical placement: c. 515 BC · ancient
Meaning not yet available
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- Author or tradition
- Confucius (traditional attribution)
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate historical placement: c. 515 BC · ancient
traditional author lifetime midpoint (551–479 BCE), Stanford Encyclopedia; not quotation composition date
An author lifetime or approximate period is not necessarily the date when these words were written or spoken. - Recorded source
- The Analects of Confucius (James Legge English translation)
Book IV, complete printed chapter II; James Legge translation; Undated digitized James Legge English edition; printed publication year/publisher not supplied in this cached text
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
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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