Ba Yi III Chapter 17

Confucius on the Paradox of Ritual: The Clash Between Practicality and Principle

The Master’s Summation: “No Complaint Against Heaven or Men, Learning Low to Penetrate High, Known Only by Heaven”
A Just and Kind Ethic: “How Then to Repay Goodness? Repay Wrong with Justice, Goodness with Goodness”
The True Measure of Excellence: “A Steed is Praised for Its Virtue, Not Its Strength”
The Master’s Drive: “I Do Not Dare to Be Glib, I Simply Detest Stubborn Ignorance”
The Wise Integrity: “Presume No Evil, Yet Foresee It—That Is True Worth”