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Mencius

Mencius Biography

Philosopher

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“Mencius said: “In good years, young men are mostly fine. In bad years, they’re mostly cruel and violent. It isn’t that Heaven endows them with such different capacities, only that their hearts are mired in such different situations. Think about barley: if you plant the seeds carefully at the same time and in same place, they’ll all sprout and grow ripe by summer solstice. If they don’t grow the same – it’s because of inequities in richness of soil, amounts of rainfall, or the care given them by farmers. And so, all members belonging to a given species of thing are the same. Why should humans be the lone exception? The sage and I – surely we belong to the same species of thing. “That’s why Master Lung said: Even if a cobbler makes a pair of sandals for feet he’s never seen, he certainly won’t make a pair of baskets. Sandals are all alike because feet are the same throughout all beneath Heaven. And all tongues savor the same flavors. Yi Ya was just the first to discover what our tongues savor. If taste differed by nature from person to person, the way horses and dogs differ by species from me, then how is it people throughout all beneath Heaven savor the tastes Yi Ya savored? People throughout all beneath Heaven share Yi Ya’s tastes, therefore people’s tongues are alike throughout all beneath Heaven. “It’s true for the ear too: people throughout all beneath Heaven share Maestro K’uang’s sense of music, therefore people’s ears are alike thoughout all beneath Heaven. And it’s no less true for the eye: no one throughout all beneath Heaven could fail to see the beauty of Lord Tu. If you can’t see his beauty, you simply haven’t eyes. “Hence it is said: All tongues savor the same flavors, all ears hear the same music, and all eyes see the same beauty. Why should the heart alone not be alike in us all? But what is it about our hearts that is alike? Isn’t it what we call reason and Duty? The sage is just the first to discover what is common to our hearts. Hence, reason and Duty please our hearts just like meat pleases our tongues.”

Human NatureEssentialism
Book:Mencius
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“They agree with the current customs. They consent with an impure age. Their principles have a semblance of right-heartedness and truth. Their conduct has a semblance of disinterestedness and purity. All men are pleased with them, and they think themselves right, but you cannot enter into the Way of Yao and Shun with them. For this reason they are called “The thieves of virtue.”

TruthVirtueAppearancePurityPopularityTheftPrincipleImpurityCustomRight Hearted
Author:Mencius
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“The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity; the feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness; the feeling of deference and compliance is the beginning of propriety; and the feeling of right or wrong is the beginning of wisdom.Men have these Four Beginnings just as they have their four limbs. Having these Four Beginnings, but saying that they cannot develop them is to destroy themselves.”

MenFeelingsHumanityFourShameRighteousnessDislikeLimbsProprietyComplianceDeference
Author:Mencius
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“Friendship is one mind in two bodies.”

MindTwoBodyFriendshipFriendsMy FriendsEducationalValentineReal FriendsMy Best FriendTrue FriendTrue FriendshipBest FriendMy FriendshipFriends ForeverAbout FriendshipLove And FriendshipFriendship LoveLost FriendshipOne Line FriendshipBest FriendshipCute FriendshipFriend LoveMaking FriendsLasting FriendshipTrue Friend IsOne FriendFriendship GardenTrue Best FriendTwo FriendsBffCircle Of FriendsHearts And FriendsBeing A Good FriendThat One FriendFriendship BrokenWonderful FriendshipReally Cute Best FriendShort FriendCute Best FriendLosing FriendshipShort Best FriendFriendship ForeverFunny Best Friends ForeverPrecious FriendsBeing A True FriendWisdom And FriendshipBff ForeverAngel FriendshipWise FriendshipTwo Best Friends
Author:Mencius
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