The Great Person and the Small Person

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English translation

Original Chinese text

English translation

Gongduzi asked, “People are alike in being human, yet some become great people and others petty people. Why?”

Original Chinese text

English translation

Mencius replied, “Those who follow what is great in themselves become great people; those who follow what is small become petty people.”

Original Chinese text

English translation

Gongduzi asked, “If people are alike in being human, why do some follow what is great in themselves while others follow what is small?”

Original Chinese text

English translation

Mencius said, “The senses of hearing and sight do not think and are easily obscured by things. When one thing encounters another, the senses are simply drawn along by it. The heart, by contrast, can think: through thought it gains insight; without thought it gains nothing. This capacity is what Heaven has given us. If one first establishes what is great within, what is small cannot take it away. That is all it means to be a great person.”

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