"Let not a man do what his sense of right bids him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid workman."

Justice

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Justice as articulated by Mencius. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Justice provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Mencius

Mencius, born Meng Ke (孟軻), was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage (亞聖) to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting his ideology and developing it further. Living during the Warring States period, he is said to have spent much of his life travelling around the states offering counsel to different rulers. Conversations with these rulers form the basis of the Mencius, which would later be canonised as a Confucian classic.

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More by Mencius

"Friendship is one mind in two bodies."

— Mencius
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"We live, not as we wish to, but as we can."

— Mencius
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"Evil exists to glorify the good. Evil is negative good. It is a relative term. Evil can be transmuted into good. What is evil to one at one time, becomes good at another time to somebody else."

— Mencius
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"Friends are the siblings God never gave us."

— Mencius
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More about Justice

"I am a hopeless romantic. And I won't stop till I get it right."

— Halle Berry
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"Not a single time have we gotten a right from Congress or from the President. We get them from God."

— Glenn Beck
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"To engage with art, we have to be willing to be wrong, venture outside our psychic comfort zones, suspend disbelief, and remember that art explores and alters consciousness simultaneously."

— Jerry Saltz
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"I pray to be a good servant to God, a father, a husband, a son, a friend, a brother, an uncle, a good neighbor, a good leader to those who look up to me, a good follower to those who are serving God and doing the right thing."

— Mark Wahlberg
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