13. The Master said, What is governing to a man that can rule himself?
If he cannot rule himself, how shall he rule others?

14. As the disciple Jan[127] came back from court, the Master said to
him. Why so late?

I had business of state, he answered.

Household business, said the Master. If it had been business of state,
though I am out of office, I should have heard of it.

15. Duke Ting asked, Is there any one saying that can bless a kingdom?

[Footnote 127: Jan Yu. He was in the service of the Chi, not of the
Duke of Lu.]

Confucius answered, That is more than words can do. But men have a
saying, To be lord is hard and to be minister is not easy. And if one
knew how hard it is to be lord, might not this one saying almost bless
a kingdom?

And is there any one saying that can wreck a kingdom?

That is more than words can do, Confucius answered. But men have a
saying, My only delight in being lord is that no one withstands what I
say. Now if what he says is good, and no one withstands him, is not
that good too? But if it is not good, and no one withstands him, might
not this one saying almost wreck a kingdom?

16. The Duke of She asked, What is kingcraft?

The Master answered, For those near us to be happy and those far off
to come.

17. When he was governor of Chue-fu, Tzu-hsia asked how to rule.

The Master said, Be not eager for haste; look not for small gains.
Nothing done in haste is thorough, and looking for small gains big
things are left undone.

18. The Duke of She told Confucius, Among the upright men of my clan
if the father steals a sheep his son bears witness.

Confucius answered, Our clan's uprightness is unlike that. The father
screens his son and the son screens his father. There is uprightness
in this.

19. Fan Ch'ih asked, What is love?

The Master said, To be humble at home, earnest at work, and faithful
to all. Even among wild tribes none of this must be dropped.

20. Tzu-kung asked, What is it that we call knighthood?

The Master said, To be called a knight, a man must be shamefast in all
that he does, if he is sent to the four corners of the earth he must
not disgrace his lord's commands.

May I ask who would come next?

He that his clansmen call a good son and his neighbours call modest.

And who would come next?

A man that clings to his word and sticks to his course, a flinty
little fellow, would perhaps come next.

And how are the crown servants of to-day?

W