Daily Examination
Regular self-examination to track moral progress.
Zengzi practiced daily self-examination: 'Have I been loyal in my dealings? Have I been trustworthy with friends? Have I practiced what I teach?' Regular reflection enables consistent improvement.
Each day I examine myself on three points.
Daily self-examination is a fundamental practice.
Analects
Written about in
- What Confucianism says about failure
Zengzi examined himself daily on three points: loyalty in his dealings, trustworthiness with friends, whether he practised what he taught. A fixed, short, repeatable audit — the opposite of a general feeling of inadequacy that never resolves into anything.