Speaking to the Powerful
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English translation
Original Chinese text
孟子曰:“说大人,则藐之,勿视其巍巍然。堂高数仞,榱题数尺,我得志弗为也。食前方丈,侍妾数百人,我得志弗为也。般乐饮酒,驱骋田猎,后车千乘,我得志弗为也。在彼者,皆我所不为也;在我者,皆古之制也,吾何畏彼哉?”
English translation
Mencius said, “When speaking to powerful men, regard them as small and do not be dazzled by their grandeur. A hall several ren high, with rafter ends projecting several chi—these are not what I would seek even if I prospered. Nor would I seek tables laden with food and hundreds of concubines, or lavish revelry, drinking, hunting, and a thousand chariots following behind me. Those things belong to them; what belongs to me is the institutions of the ancients. Why should I fear them?”