Correcting Friends Kindly

This passage, revisited from Day 108, focuses here on its relational dimension. Confucius teaches that a true friend speaks up when the other goes astray—but does so with skill (善道之), not harshness. And if the friend refuses to hear, the right response is not to insist endlessly but to withdraw with dignity. True friendship includes the courage to speak hard truths, but also the wisdom to know when words will not be received.