The Master said, “Wealth and honor are what people desire, but one should not abide in them if it cannot be done in accordance with the [Tao] Way. Poverty and lowliness are what people dislike, but one should not avoid them if it cannot be done in accordance with the [Tao] Way. . . .” The Master said, “The noble person is concerned with rightness; the small person is concerned with profit.”

–The Analects of Confucius

Read the passage from The Analects of Confucius. What is the author’s main message?

People should focus on living right, not on being rich or avoiding poverty.
If people live in accordance with the teaching of Confucius, then they will be rich.
People should be concerned with profits, not rightness.
Only wealthy people can be noble, because nobility comes from wealth and honor.