7A.1.  Mengzi said: He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature. He who knows his nature knows Heaven. To preserve one’s mind and to nourish one’s nature is the way to serve Heaven. Not to allow any double-mindedness regardless of longevity or brevity of life, but to cultivate one’s person and wait [for destiny (ming 命, fate, Heaven’s decree) to take its own course] is the way to fulfill one’s destiny.¹

孟子曰：「盡其心者，知其性也。知其性，則知天矣。存其心，養其性，所以事天也。殀壽不貳，修身以俟之，所以立命也。」

7A.2.  Mengzi said: Everything is destiny (ming 命). A man should accept obediently what is correct [in one’s destiny]. Therefore, he who knows destiny does not stand beneath a precipitous wall. Death sustained in the course of carrying out the Way to the limit is due to correct destiny. But death under handcuffs and fetters is not due to correct destiny.

孟子曰：「莫非命也，順受其正。是故知命者，不立乎巖牆之下。盡其道而死者，正命也。桎梏死者，非正命也。」

7A.4.  Mengzi said: All things are already complete in oneself. There is no greater joy than to examine oneself and be sincere. When in one’s conduct one vigorously exercises altruism, humanity is not far to seek, but right by him.²

孟子曰：「萬物皆備於我矣。反身而誠，樂莫大焉。強恕而行，求仁莫近焉。」

7A.5.  Mengzi said: To act without understanding and do so habitually without examination, following certain courses all their lives without knowing the principles behind them—this is the way of the multitude.

孟子曰：「行之而不著焉，習矣而不察焉，終身由之而不知其道者，眾也。」

7A.13.  Mengzi said: Under a despot, the people look brisk and cheerful [only temporarily and superficially, for the despot’s kindness is selfishly motivated]. Under a true king, however, the people feel magnificent and at ease with themselves. Though he punishes them by death, they do not complain, and when he benefits them, they do not think of their merit. From day to day they make progress toward the good without knowing who makes them do so. Whenever the superior man passes through, transforming influence follows. Wherever he abides, spiritual influence remains. This forms the same current above and below with that of Heaven and Earth. Is this a small help?³

孟子曰：「霸者之民，驩虞如也；王者之民，皞皞如也。殺之而不怨，利之而不庸，民日遷善而不知為之者。夫君子所過者化，所存者神，上下與天地同流，豈曰小補之哉？」

7A.15.  Mengzi said: The ability possessed by men without their having acquired it by learning is innate ability, and the knowledge possessed by them without deliberation is innate knowledge. Children carried in the arms all know to love their parents. As they grow, they all know to respect their elder brothers. To have filial affection for parents is humanity, and to respect elders is righteousness. These feelings are universal in the world, that is all.

孟子曰：「人之所不學而能者，其良能也；所不慮而知者，其良知也。孩提之童，無不知愛其親者；及其長也，無不知敬其兄也。親親，仁也；敬長，義也。無他，達之天下也。」

7A.26.  Mengzi said: Yang Zhu’s choice was “everyone for himself.” Though he might benefit the entire world by plucking out a single hair, he would not do it. Mozi advocated universal love. If by rubbing smooth his whole body from head to foot he could benefit the world, he would do it. Zimo⁴ holds the mean between the two, and he is nearer the right. Holding the mean without allowing for special circumstances is like holding on to one particular thing. The reason why I hate holding to one thing is because it destroys the Way. It takes up one point but neglects a hundred others.

孟子曰：「楊子取為我，拔一毛而利天下，不為也。墨子兼愛，摩頂放踵利天下，為之。子莫執中，執中為近之，執中無權，猶執一也。所惡執一者，為其賊道也，舉一而廢百也。」

7A.30.  Mengzi said: Yao and Shun practiced humanity and righteousness because of their nature. King Tang and King Wu did so because of their personal cultivation. The Five Despots,⁵ on the contrary, merely borrowed [the names of humanity and righteousness to adorn their acts]. After they had borrowed them for a long time and did not return them, how could it be known that they did not own them?

孟子曰：「堯舜，性之也；湯武，身之也；五霸，假之也。久假而不歸，惡知其非有也。」

7A.38.  Mengzi said: Form and color (our body) are nature endowed by Heaven. It is only the sage who can put his physical form into full use.

孟子曰：「形色，天性也；惟聖人，然後可以踐形。」

7A.45.  Mengzi said: In regard to [inferior] creatures, the superior man loves them but is not humane to them (that is, showing them the feeling due human beings). In regard to people generally, he is humane to them but not affectionate. He is affectionate to his parents and humane to all people. He is humane to all people and feels love for all creatures.

孟子曰：「君子之於物也，愛之而弗仁；於民也，仁之而弗親。親親而仁民，仁民而愛物。」

7A.46.  Mengzi said: The man of wisdom knows everything, but he considers the things of immediate importance to be the most urgent. The man of humanity loves all, but he considers the effort to cultivate an affection for the worthy to be the most urgent. Even the wisdom of Yao and Shun did not [actually] extend to everything, but they attended urgently to the most important. Their humanity did not extend to the point of [actually] loving all people, but they urgently cultivated the affection for the worthy.

孟子曰：「知者無不知也，當務之為急；仁者無不愛也，急親賢之為務。堯舜之知而不遍物，急先務也；堯舜之仁不遍愛人，急親賢也。…」