Q0403

“The Master said: The resolute scholar and the man of ren will…” — Confucius (Analects 15.9)

Verified English quotation. Primary source: Analects 15.9. Theme: choice.

English

The Master said: The resolute scholar and the man of ren will not seek life at the expense of ren; they may even sacrifice life to accomplish ren.
Thinker Confucius
School Confucianism
Source Analects 15.9
Theme Choice
Another quotation More from this thinker

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Analects 15.9 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

Free will, decision theory, and existential choice all ask how choosing is possible and what makes a choice one’s own. This passage enters that discussion through choice.

Concepts in this quote

Choice
Choice is the hinge of agency: selecting among options under reasons, constraints, and uncertainty.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Confucius. (n.d.). The Master said: The resolute scholar and the man of ren will not seek life at the expense of ren; they may even sacrifice life to accomplish ren. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0403

MLA: Confucius. “The Master said: The resolute scholar and the….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0403.

Chicago: Confucius. “The Master said: The resolute scholar and the….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0403.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “The Master said: The resolute scholar and the…”?

The passage is attributed to Confucius, Analects 15.9. The archive attributes this English wording to Analects 15.9 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 choice?

Free will, decision theory, and existential choice all ask how choosing is possible and what makes a choice one’s own. This passage enters that discussion through choice.

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: When you see the worthy, think of equaling them; when you see the unworthy, examine yourself within.

All quotations by Confucius

Same theme

More on choice

  1. The Master said: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
  2. The heart of compassion is possessed by all; so too the hearts of shame, of respect, and of right and wrong.
  3. The people are my siblings; things are my companions.
  4. The Master said: The wise are not perplexed; the humane are not anxious; the brave are not afraid.
  5. The Master said: To restrain the self and return to ritual propriety is ren. One day of this, and all under Heaven will turn toward ren.

Browse the choice theme