Book 5: 《公冶長》 Gong Ye Chang
《公冶長》 Passage 5.10
宰予晝寢。子曰：「朽木不可雕也，糞土之牆不可杇也，於予與何誅。」子曰：「始吾於人也，聽其言而信其行；今吾於人也，聽其言而觀其行。於予與改是。」
Legge Translation (1861)
Zai Yu being asleep during the daytime, the Master said: "Rotten wood cannot be carved; a wall of dirty earth will not receive the trowel. This Yu! — what is the use of my reproving him?"The Master said: "At first, my way with men was to hear their words, and give them credit for their conduct. Now my way is to hear their words, and look at their conduct. It is from Yu that I have learned to make this change."