The Analects

The Analects

The general thrust of the text is to assist the reader in self-cultivation so that the reader might become a moral example for others. One might find the proper way to live and behave by practicing various virtues (de), thereby becoming a humane person (ren zhe) or a prince of virtue (junzi, usually rendered "gentleman"). Humanity or benevolence (ren) is the most important virtue in the Analects. Confucius emphasized literacy, study, and learning to develop the practice of moral wisdom. Rote memorization is not sufficient; one must be thoughtful. Confucius also expected his disciples to be loyal and to do what was proper, especially in government service.

Reflections

Confucius was a very wise man. He was aware of the reality of all the men on earth. Confucius worked according to the principle that the prime requisite of a good kingdom is a good king. He believed that if a king acted in a wrong way, his kingdom was going to be a complete failure. He was absolutely right. We can see this in our current present days, that if a governor acts in a wrong way, he will be managing his country wrongly, which will cause him complete failure. So even though, Confucius was talking about his philosophies a long time ago, we can see that they develop in these times and that they will be developed long time after now.