The Master said, "When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."
子曰、見賢思齊焉、見不賢而內自省也。
Analects 4.17
The same idea in other traditions
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
A man is not learned because he talks much; he who is patient, free from hatred and fear, he is called learned.
He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper; But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.
If any one does evil or wrongs his own soul but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
Although His thrall shall miss the road and err, / ’Tis but to teach him wisdom through distress, / Else Pardon and Compassionate Mercy were / But empty syllables and meaningless. …
When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty, water can wash away the dirt. When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine, soap can wash them clean. But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin, it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.
By possession of knowledge he acquires an understanding of words and their meaning; thereby he will not perish in the forest of the fourfold Samsâra; as a needle with its thread will not be lost, thus the soul possessing the sacred lore will not be lost in the Samsâra; …
Tao has of all things the most honoured place. No treasures give good men so rich a grace; Bad men it guards, and doth their ill efface. … Why was it that the ancients prized this Tao so much? Was it not because it could be got by seeking for it, and the guilty could escape (from the stain of their guilt) by it? This is the reason why all under heaven consider it the most valuable thing.