Rather than dwell on personal weaknesses, give attention to your character. Find where it is lacking and develop it. Turn to your training and the history of the traditions of the path you follow. Doing so, you will store up a great potential for service and leadership which will be recognized by your peers. They need someone like that.
The text reads (from Richard Wilhelm’s translation):
“A weak, inexperienced man, struggling to rise, easily loses his own individuality when he slavishly imitates a strong personality of higher station. He is like a girl throwing herself away when she meets a strong man. Such a servile approach should not be encouraged, because it is bad both for the youth and the teacher. A girl owes it to her dignity to wait till she is wooed. In both cases it is undignified to offer oneself, and no good comes of accepting such an offer.
There is need of a strong, clear-headed man who is honoured by the ruler.
[This requires] the daily renewal of character. Only through such daily self-renewal can a man continue at the height of his powers. Force of habit helps to keep order in quiet times; but in periods when there is a great storing up of energy, everything depends on the power of the personality. ”
