The pursuit of moral principles in daily life should be true and sincere. “Being sincere in thought” is one of the “eight essential principles” from the philosophical text The Great Learning, the other seven being “studying things,” “acquiring knowledge,” “rectifying one’s mind,” “cultivating oneself,” “regulating one’s family well,” “governing the state properly,” and “bringing peace to all under heaven.” Those constitute important stages in the moral cultivation advocated by Confucian scholars. “Sincerity in thought” has as its preceding stage the “extension of knowledge.” One can only identify and follow the principle of “sincerity in thought” on the basis of understanding the moral principles in daily life. One’s true desire will then naturally reflect itself in one’s daily behavior. An individual’s moral conduct must stem from a genuine wish and must not just conform superficially to the moral principles without true intention of practicing them.