Aug 19, 2025
子曰：“君子谋道不谋食。耕也，馁在其中矣；学也，禄在其中矣。君子忧道不忧贫。”
A gentleman should strive to create new ideas of his own and do his
best to realize them, rather than be content with merely feeding
himself well. In farming, if the harvest is poor, the farmer may
not have enough to eat. Learning, however, is different: if one
masters knowledge, one can build lasting wealth. Therefore,
a gentleman should worry about failing to create new ideas,
not about living in poverty.
From this, we can see that, contrary to what is often assumed, Confucius
was not urging us to abandon the pursuit of wealth. Rather, he warned
us not to pursue wealth for its own sake. If we create no value for
others, no one will be willing to reward us. Only through learning,
discovering new ideas, and putting them into practice can true wealth
naturally follow.