Q0139

“The Master said: When you see the worthy, think of equaling them;…” — Confucius (Analects 4.17)

Verified English quotation. Primary source: Analects 4.17. Theme: cultivation.

English

The Master said: When you see the worthy, think of equaling them; when you see the unworthy, examine yourself within.
Thinker Confucius
School Confucianism
Source Analects 4.17
Theme Cultivation
Another quotation More from this thinker

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Analects 4.17 and files it under Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.

About Confucius

Confucius (Kong Qiu, 551–479 BCE) taught in the late Spring and Autumn period amid the Zhou order’s political fragmentation. Born in the state of Lu, he briefly held local office and then spent years seeking rulers who would adopt ritual-based, virtue-centered government.

How to read this passage

Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Mencius and Al-Ghazali), cultivation is framed through Confucianism and Islamic Philosophy. Some passages define cultivation; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through cultivation.

Concepts in this quote

Cultivation
Cultivation appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat cultivation as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Confucius. (n.d.). The Master said: When you see the worthy, think of equaling them; when you see the unworthy, examine yourself within. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0139

MLA: Confucius. “The Master said: When you see the worthy,….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0139.

Chicago: Confucius. “The Master said: When you see the worthy,….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0139.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “The Master said: When you see the worthy,…”?

The passage is attributed to Confucius, Analects 4.17. The archive attributes this English wording to Analects 4.17 and files it under Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.

What does Confucius mean by cultivation?

Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Mencius and Al-Ghazali), cultivation is framed through Confucianism and Islamic Philosophy. Some passages define cultivation; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through cultivation.

Same thinker

More from Confucius

  1. The Master said: Is it not a pleasure to learn and to practice what one has learned in due time? Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar? Is it not the mark of a gentleman to remain unresentful when others fail to appreciate one?
  2. The Master said: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
  3. The Master said: You, shall I teach you what knowing is? To know what you know, and to know what you do not know — that is true knowing.
  4. The Master said: When three people walk together, one of them is sure to be my teacher. I select what is good in them and follow it; what is not good, I correct in myself.
  5. The Master said: If one hears the Way in the morning, one may die content that evening.

All quotations by Confucius

Same theme

More on cultivation

  1. The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.
  2. I searched for myself.
  3. Thinking is the habit of examining whatever happens to come to pass or to attract attention.
  4. The Master said: When three people walk together, one of them is sure to be my teacher. I select what is good in them and follow it; what is not good, I correct in myself.
  5. Zengzi said: Each day I examine myself on three counts: In acting on behalf of others, have I been loyal? In dealings with friends, have I been trustworthy? Have I practiced what was passed on to me?

Browse the cultivation theme