“A gentleman does not promote a person because of their words, nor reject words because of the person.” The sentence appears in the Wei Ling Gong chapter of the Analects. To “promote a person” is to endorse the whole person merely because the words sound worthy; to “reject the words” is to dismiss what was said because the speaker is disliked.
The sentence keeps two judgements separate. Fine language must still be tested against conduct, while a flawed person’s facts or reasons may still deserve examination. When encountering a public figure’s opinion, a colleague’s suggestion or a stranger’s comment, we need not trust a person because of one admirable remark, or refuse to check a claim because we dislike its source. Separate judgement is harder than choosing a side, but it is more likely to be fair.
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hans/論語/衛靈公第十五
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