Analects of Confucius 16.7

translated from Classical Chinese by James Legge, 1893

Confucius said, ‘There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth, when the physical powers

are not yet settled, he guards against lust. When he is strong and the physical powers are full of vigor, he guards against quarrelsomeness. When he is old, and the animal powers are decayed, he guards against covetousness.’