Examine Yourself Before Blaming Others

Examine Yourself Before Blaming Others

“Examine yourself more strictly and blame others less; then resentment will remain distant.” The line appears in the Wei Ling Gong chapter of the Analects. “Heavy” and “light” describe the relative weight of demands: place more scrutiny on yourself and less harsh expectation on others, so resentment is less likely to gather.

It does not say that every fault must be taken upon oneself, nor that harm should be tolerated. It changes the order of action: first ask what responsibility is yours and what you can still alter, then judge another person’s part. Its present value lies not in displaying humility, but in returning attention to what can actually be corrected.

https://ctext.org/analects/wei-ling-gong/zh


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