"When the granaries are full, people know propriety; when food and clothing suffice, they know honor and shame."
To you, does peace of mind come from comfortable circumstances, or is it something you can keep regardless of them?
The 'granary philosophy' of a minister who owed everything to a friend
Guan Zhong was chief minister of the state of Qi in the Spring and Autumn period, helping Duke Huan make Qi the era's first hegemon. He practiced a realist politics: before preaching morality, secure people's livelihoods, and the state will stand firm.
Guan Zhong originally served Duke Huan's rival and even shot an arrow at the future duke—yet on his friend Bao Shuya's recommendation, he became chief minister instead. He later said, 'My parents gave me life, but it was Bao Shuya who truly knew me,' a friendship preserved in the idiom 'the friendship of Guan and Bao.'