Confucius said, “A noble person is open-minded and not biased. A small person is narrow-minded and biased.”
Small Person
4.16
Confucius said, “The noble person knows what’s fair. The small person knows what pays.”
12.16
Confucius said, “The noble person brings out the best in other people. The petty person does just the opposite.”
13.25
Confucius said, “A noble person is easy to serve but difficult to please. If you try to please them with behavior that isn’t consistent with the Way, they won’t be pleased. When employing others, the noble person respects others’ limitations.
“A small person, on the other hand, is difficult to serve but easy to please. If you try to please them with behavior that isn’t consistent with the Way, they will be pleased anyway. When employing others, the small person expects everyone to be good at everything.”
13.26
Confucius said, “The noble person is confident without being arrogant. The small person is arrogant but lacks confidence.”
14.6
Confucius said, “There are times when a noble person fails to act with humaneness, but a small person never acts with humaneness.”
14.23
Confucius said, “The noble person reaches up. The small person reaches down.”
15.2
In the state of Chen, they ran out of food, and the students became so exhausted they could no longer stand.
Resentfully, Zilu asked, “Must a noble person suffer through such a mess?”
Confucius replied, “Yes, a noble person may find themselves in circumstances like this, but it’s only the small person that can’t withstand it.”
15.21
Confucius said, “Noble persons demand it in themselves. Small persons demand it from others.”
15.34
Confucius said, “The noble person’s ability can’t be seen in how they handle small matters, but they can be entrusted with great ones. A small person can’t be entrusted with great matters, but they can be entrusted with small ones.”
16.8
Confucius said, “A noble person stands in awe of three things: the will of Heaven, great people, and the words of the sages. The small person is clueless about the will of Heaven, despises the great, and mocks the words of the sages.”
19.8
Zixia said, “A small person will always make excuses to cover up their mistakes.”