Winning the People's Hearts

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Original Chinese text

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.”

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