Welcoming Good Counsel

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Original Chinese text

English translation

Lu wished to appoint Yuezhengzi to govern. Mencius said, “I heard the news and was so glad I could not sleep.” Gongsun Chou asked whether Yuezhengzi was capable; Mencius said no. Was he wise and far-sighted? No. Was he widely learned? No. “Then why are you so glad?” “Because he loves goodness.” “Is that enough?” Mencius replied, “A willingness to welcome good counsel is more than enough to govern the realm—how much more so the state of Lu? If someone truly loves goodness, people from across the seas will travel a thousand li to tell him what is good. If he does not, they will say, ‘Hmph, I already know that.’ This dismissive tone and expression will drive people away a thousand li. When worthy people stay far away, slanderers, flatterers, and sycophants arrive. Can a state be well governed while living with such people?”

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