Confucius said: The superior person cares about character; the inferior person cares about wealth/position. The superior person cares about fairness; the inferior person cares about favors.
The superior person cares about character power; the inferior person cares about worldly power. The superior person cares about fairness; the inferior person cares about [how he can advance via] corruption.
The chun tzu regards te; the hsiao jen regards land. The chun tzu regards fairness; the hsiao jen regards [unfair] exemptions/generous treatment.
[land: wealth & possessions, positions, biases, and/or petty patriotism]
The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort. The superior man thinks of the sanctions of law; the small man thinks of favors [which he may receive]. L
A wise man regards the moral worth of a man; a fool, only his position. A wise man expects justice; a fool expects favours. K
The man of honour thinks of his character, the inferior man of his position. The man of honour desires justice, the inferior man favour. S
The masterly man has an eye to virtue, the common man, to earthly things; the former has an eye to penalties (for error),—the latter, to favour. J
Gentlemen cherish worth; the vulgar cherish dirt. Gentlemen trust in justice; the vulgar trust in favour. H
The proper man is concerned with examining his consciousness and acting on it, the small man is concerned about land; the superior man about legality, the small man about favours. (Ezra Pound)
A gentleman focuses on virtue; a common man, on land. A gentleman focuses on civic responsibilities; a common man, on gaining advantage. (David H. Li)
We should apply ourselves to and value what is uplifting and just.
The superior person regards moral attainments; the inferior person regards selfish personal interests.