Duke Ding asked: "Is there a single saying that can bring a state to prosperity?" Confucius replied: "No single saying can be relied upon to achieve so much — yet there is one that comes close. People say: 'It is hard to be a ruler, and it is not easy to be a minister.' If a ruler truly understands how hard it is to rule, is this not close to being a saying that can bring a state to prosperity?" The Duke then asked: "Is there a single saying that can bring a state to ruin?" Confucius replied: "No single saying can be relied upon to achieve so much — yet there is one that comes close. People say: 'I find no pleasure in being a ruler, except that no one dares to contradict what I say.' If what the ruler says is good, and no one contradicts him, that is well and good. But if what he says is not good, and yet no one dares to contradict him — is this not close to being a single saying that can bring a state to ruin?"