Theme: promises
3 reflections tagged with "promises"
← All themesTrustworthiness as Foundation
信 (trustworthiness) is central for Confucius. Without it, social life collapses: contracts, friendships, and governance all depend on people doing what they say. Trustworthiness involves both truth in speech and reliability in action.
The Weight of a Promise
Master You (有子), a disciple of Confucius, teaches that the ability to keep promises depends on whether those promises are wisely and rightly made in the first place. A vow that violates justice or exceeds one's capacity cannot truly be kept. The counsel is to promise carefully, aligning one's word with what is good and achievable.
Promises and Speech
You Zi, a disciple of Confucius, teaches that trustworthiness (信, xìn) must be grounded in what is right (義, yì). A promise made rashly or for the wrong reasons cannot be kept without betraying something else. The phrase 言可復也 means that words can be 'returned to'—honored and fulfilled—only when they were wisely given in the first place.