Words Born from the Heart

Confucius lists four qualities that approximate ren (humaneness): firmness (剛), steadfastness (毅), plainness (木), and slow-to-speak reticence (訥). Strikingly, eloquence is absent from this list. Confucius distrusts slick speech and instead prizes the person whose words are few, plain, and backed by strong character. Authenticity, not polish, is the mark of a humane person.