The Junzi Uses Things; the Lesser Person Is Used by Them

“The junzi uses things; the lesser person is used by them” appears in Xunzi’s “Self-Cultivation”. The text introduces it with “a tradition says”, indicating that Xunzi is citing an earlier saying. To “use things” is not to despise or damage them, but to make wealth, tools and circumstances serve a chosen purpose. To be “used by things” is to let them direct us instead.

The preceding passage says that cultivated intention makes wealth and rank seem lighter, while commitment to what is right makes powerful people seem lighter. The issue is an inner standard. Today, a phone may organise work, or its notifications may decide where attention goes next. The difference is not whether the object is old or new, but who sets the direction of action. Autonomy does not require rejecting tools; it requires being able to change their settings, put them aside and explain why we use them.

https://ctext.org/text.pl?if=gb&node=12265&remap=gb