In the West the familiar adage that "though one is born with one's relatives one can choose one's
friends" might be taken to indicate that our friends are first and foremost people we find
enjoyable to be around. Yet, in the Confucian view friends are so important that they must be
chosen and cultivated not primarily with a view to pleasant company, but rather in much the
same way as all the other facets of the virtuous life are pursued. Only when such discretion is
exercised will friendship lead the Superior Person forward along the Way: