A disciple of Confucius said to him, "To be poor and yet not to be servile; to be rich and yet not to be proud, what do you say to that?""It is good," replied Confucius, "but better still it is to be poor and yet contented; to be rich and yet know how to be courteous."

Tzu-kung said, "‘Poor without being obsequious, wealthy without being arrogant.’ What do you think of this saying?"The Master said, "That will do, but better still ‘Poor yet delighting in the Way, wealthy yet observant of the rites.’"

Zigong said, "‘Poor without cadging, rich without swagger.’ What of that?" The Master said, "Not bad. But better still, ‘Poor, yet delighting in the Way; rich, yet a student of ritual.’"

Zigong said: "What do you think of the saying: ‘Poor but not inferior; rich but not superior’?" The Master replied: "Not bad, but not as good as: ‘Poor but enjoying the way (dao 道); rich but loving ritual propriety (li 礼).’"

Chee-koong says, can it be, that the poor shall not be adulatory and the rich not haughty? Chee says, it can. May not the poor possess contentment, and the rich, true politeness?