Confucius wrote that "a scholar is one who does not desire great accumulation of wealth, but looks on many accomplishments as riches." We could choose to take the great philosopher at face value as to the meaning of this bit of wisdom, but it might be of more use to us if we try to define the deeper meanings and apply them to our own lives. Presuming that Confucius was speaking metaphorically in this instance, what does the quote above mean?
It becomes clearer if we change the word "wealth" to winning. We can then say that a student is one who holds earned accomplishment from hard work as the greatest success. Winning, while nice, becomes of a lesser value than striving for educational excellence. Each of us is an individual with our own strengths and weaknesses and each of us learn at a different pace. Based upon this idea, we can expect to not always be the best. The point is, that winning is secondary to giving education (or anything else) your best effort.
Being a good student means going to class regularly, doing your best and participating actively in each day's lessons. If you listen to the lessons passed on by your masters or teachers, take time to think about what you are being taught, practice and work toward success to the best of your ability you will increase your knowledge and ability to perform. A good student is attentive to the day's lessons and respectful to teachers and other students. As Confucius wrote, for a true student the greatest reward is learning.
