Confucius - Being Happy or Being Worried 懮乎？樂乎？

Zilu asked Confucius : “Does gentleman have worries?”

Replied Confucius: “When the gentleman has not accomplished what he wants to, he is already happy about his will. Once he reaches it, he is happy about its management. So that’s why he is happy for his whole life, and will never have any worry not even for a single day. When the villain has not yet get what he wants, he is worried about not getting it. Once he gets it, he will be worried about of losing it. So that‘s why he will be unhappy for the rest of his life, and never be happy for a single day.”

(Selected from Xunzi- Zidao)

Translated by Laoha (X. M. Li) on 2/4/2005

子路問于孔子曰：“君子亦有懮乎？”孔子曰：“君子其未得也，則樂其意， 既已得之，又樂其治。是以有終生之樂，無一日之懮。小人者其未得也，則懮不得； 既已得之，又恐失之。是以有終身之懮，無一日之樂也。”

(選自《荀子-子道》 )