Book 19

I chose this Book to read because it was the only one which consisted in only passages from the disciples. In the end, both Confucius and his students were prized with the satisfaction of having learned and of successfully teaching. Both are equally important because it was the task from the beginning. Having accomplished this, the pupils can then become teachers but continue to learn forever, as Confucius did. In line 19.12, Ziyou makes a wrong assumption but it is not his master who corrects him, but his colleague. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and anyone with the desire to ever imagine finishing it must be willing to learn before anything else. The Way is a concept that an average human would never be able to understand, you must have the qualities of Jen (as we discussed in class) to ever get close to it. I will always admire those who dedicate themselves to this.