Confucius was both a great thinker and a great human being. As a thinker he held up an ideal for all men. This consisted of perfecting one’s own moral character. Realizing this ideal involves not only being benevolent to other individuals but also working unstintingly for the welfare of the common people. For this Confucius could hold out no hope of a reward either in this life or in the next. The reward lies in the doing of what is good, and this constitutes the joy of following the Way.
