Moral example is far more effective than edicts, and where edicts contradict the example, it is the example that the common people will heed rather than the edicts. This point is most persuasively put by Confucius on another occasion. Chi K‘ang Tzu asked Confucius about government, saying, ‘What would you think if, in order to move closer to those who possess the Way, I were to kill those who do not follow the Way?’ Confucius answered, ‘In administering your government, what need is there for you to kill? Just desire the good yourself and the common people will be good. The virtue of the
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