What is success near Confucius?

'Tselu, Tseng Hsi, Jan Ch'iu and Kunghsi Hua were sitting together one day and Confucius said, " Do not think that I am a little bit older than you and therefore am assuming airs. You often say among yourselves that people don't know you. Suppose someone know you, I should like to know how you would appear to that person."

'Tselu' immediately replied, " I should like to rule over a country with a thousand carriages, situated between two powerful neighbours, involved in war and suffering from famine. I should like to take charge of such a country and in three years, the nation will become strong and orderly." 

Confucius smiled at this remark and said, "How about you, Ah Ch'iu." 'Jan Ch'iu replied, "Let me have a country sixty or seventy li square or perhaps only fifty or sixty li square. Put it in my charge, and in three years the people will have enough to eat, but as for teaching them moral order and music, I shall leave it to the superior man." 

(Turning to Kunghsi Hua) Confucius said, "How about you, Ah Ch'ih?" Kunghsi Hua replied, "Not that I say I can do it, but I'm willing to learn this. At the ceremonies of religious worship and at the conference of the princes, I should like to wear the ceremonial cap and gown and be a minor official assisting at the ceremony.

"How about you, Ah Tien?" The latter (Tseng Hsi) was just playing on the 'seh', and with a bang he left the instrument and arose to speak. "My ambition is different from theirs." "It doesn't matter," said Confucius, "we are just trying to find out what each would like to do." Then he replied, "In later spring, when the new spring dress is made, I would like to go with five or six grown-ups and six or seven children to bathe in the River Yi, and after the bath go to enjoy the breeze in the Wuyu woods, and then sing on our way home." Confucius heaved a deep sigh and said, "You are the man after my own heart."