Winning the People's Hearts
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English translation
Original Chinese text
孟子曰:“桀纣之失天下也,失其民也。失其民者,失其心也。得天下有道:得其民斯得天下矣。得其民有道,得其心斯得民矣。得其心有道:所欲,与之聚之;所恶,勿施尔也。民之归仁也,犹水之就下,兽之走圹也。故为渊驱鱼者,獭也;为丛驱爵者,鹯也;为汤、武驱民者,桀与纣也。今天下之君有好仁者,则诸侯皆为之驱矣;虽欲无王,不可得已。今之欲王者,犹七年之病求三年之艾也。苟为不畜,终身不得。苟不志于仁,终身忧辱,以陷于死亡。《诗》云:‘其何能淑?载胥及溺’,此之谓也。”
English translation
Mencius said, “Jie and Zhou lost the realm because they lost the people; they lost the people because they lost their hearts. There is a way to gain the realm: gain the people, and you gain the realm. There is a way to gain the people: gain their hearts, and you gain them. There is a way to gain their hearts: gather for them what they desire and do not impose on them what they dislike. The people turn toward benevolence as water runs downhill and beasts run toward open country. Otters drive fish into deep pools; hawks drive birds into thickets; Jie and Zhou drove the people toward Tang and Wu. If a ruler today loves benevolence, the other lords will drive their people toward him; even if they do not wish him to become king, they cannot prevent it. A man who wants to become king today is like someone who waits until seven years of illness before seeking three-year-old moxa. If he has not stored it up, he will never obtain it. If he does not set his heart on benevolence, he will spend his life in anxiety and disgrace, and end in death. The Book of Songs says, ‘How could they become good? They may all sink together.’ That is what this means.”