“Wealth and honor are things that all people desire, and yet unless they are acquired in the proper way I will not abide them. Poverty and disgrace are things that all people hate, and yet unless they are avoided in the proper way I will not despise them.”
I agree. Many of the less wealthy people are much harder working and deserving of money than some of the richest people, many of whom earn their fortunes through luck or illegitimate means. However, Confucius contradicts himself with this statement, because he states elsewhere that only “petty” men concern themselves with profit but states here that he has nothing against those who earn wealth “in the proper way.” In any case, neither wealth nor poverty indicates what type of a person someone is or how much respect they deserve.
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