Analects 4:24

Confucius said, “The superior man wants to be slow in word but diligent in action.”  [Analects 4:24]

Today, I would try to interpret the above analect which is part of the topic "Rectification of the Mind".

After acknowledging that the self does not know anything, inquiring to know the world better, and making the will sincere, the person comes into the final step which is correcting the mind.

In the above analect, Confucius is trying to say that the action must overcome the words. It is not good that a superior man is good in words but not in deeds. It is better that the superior man is good in actions but not in words for the actions reflect the personality and thinking of a person. The words can be manipulated, it can be pretentious but the actions cannot be manipulated nor it cannot pretend. Maybe there is this one point wherein a person acts as if his words and actions go well together, but the truth of his identity cannot be hidden for long. Sooner, his real attitude and his real behavior will show. Words are easily spoken but actions to the words spoken is hard that is why the superior man must only speak few words but lives according to it. He must stand on everything he says. Also the analect is trying to say that what the mind thinks is not always right or correct, it is sometimes unrealistic. The superior man must always be careful of the words he speaks so that it will not be hard for him to act upon it or to live it. He must also correct the way his mind think so that he may not say anything that is contrary to his actions or he may not say anything that he cannot live by. A superior man must be less in words but more in actions.

The Rectification of the Mind is the last step towards becoming a superior man. Here it teaches the person to think first what he will say for his words will reflect the kind of attitude he has. His words must define who he is. He should make sure that everything that comes in his mouth is something that he believes in, something he can act upon.