But there is no guarantee that a person who appears to be courageous is also benevolent. And a person who is benevolent and considerate of others will always be courageous when the going gets tough, motivated by their good nature. Sometimes they are just saying those things.
But people who say noble and proper things are not necessarily persons of excellence.
That is because as they live, they are acting in the interest of others to the best of their ability. My own interpretation of the passage at the top goes something like this: People who have been equipped with good qualities as human beings and are manifesting them properly will always say noble and proper things. In the world of Confucius and the Analects, "de" (徳, excellence) is an inherent quality or trait that people are born with. Confucius said that among these five virtues, the virtue of "ren" (仁, benevolence) is the highest and most important one. In my translations I have referred to them as "ren" (仁, benevolence), "yi" (義, righteousness), "li" (礼, propriety), "zhi" (智, wisdom), and "xin" (信, trustworthiness).
I should remind readers of the five cardinal virtues of Confucianism which we have covered before. It means being equipped with excellent qualities as a human being. The idea of "de" (徳, excellence) is the ideal image, the best a person can be. * Precise translations of these terms are often difficult, but徳 (excellence) generally means to do one's best for others, while仁 (benevolence) can also mean being authoritative or consideration of others. The benevolent person (ren 仁) is certain to be courageous, but someone who is courageous is not necessarily benevolent." The Master said, "The person of excellence (de 徳) is certain to have something to say, but someone who has something to say is not necessarily an excellent person. (This is the second article of a series in which Noriko Takigami (Research Institute for Creating New Paradigms based on Eastern and Western Wisdom) will share personal observations from her ongoing study of the Analects of Confucius.)
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