Friday, October 9, 2009

The Wisdom of the Ancients

In The Wisdom of Confucius (translated by Lin Yutang, London, 1958) there appears the following exchange:

Zigong asked Confucius “What would you say if all the people of a village like a person?” “That is not enough,” replied Confucius.

“What would you say if all the people of the village dislike a person?” “That is not enough,” replied Confucius.

“It is better when the good people of the village like him, and the bad people dislike him.”

This ancient wisdom (Confucius died in 479 BC) summarizes:

You cannot and should not try to please everyone. Make sure that the Right People Like You, and it will be expected That Others Will Not. That’s how the world works.

Sukhi

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