Mencius said: "If a common official cannot inspire a sovereign’s trust, he’ll never win over the people and govern them.  But there’s a Way to inspire a sovereign’s trust.  If you can’t inspire trust in your friends, you’ll never inspire trust in your sovereign.  But there’s a Way to inspire trust in your friends.  If in serving your family you can’t bring them joy, you’ll never inspire trust in your friends.  There’s a Way to bring joy to your family.  If you look within and find you aren’t faithful to yourself, you’ll never please your family.  But there’s a Way to be faithful to yourself.  If you cannot render benevolence clear in the world, you’ll never be faithful to yourself.

"Hence, the Way of Heaven is in faithful things, and the Way of humankind is in faithful thought.  If you’re faithful to yourself, you cannot fail to inspire others.  And if you aren’t faithful to yourself, you’ll never inspire others." (131)