Li Lou I · Passage 22 / 28 · 孟子 4A.22
Mencius 4A.22: easy speech comes from no reproof
Mencius traces careless speech back to absent responsibility: when words carry no cost, the mouth outruns judgment and language becomes cheap.
孟子曰：「人之易其言也，無責耳矣。」
Mencius said, 'Men's being ready with their tongues arises simply from their not having been reproved.'
Priority note
A human-edited reading layer
Central question
Why does Mencius say that people speak too easily because there is no reproof?
Direct answer
Because when exaggeration, error, and loose judgment carry no consequence, speech naturally loses weight. What restrains language is not technique first, but a live sense of responsibility.
First principle
The weight of words is determined less by style than by whether the speaker includes consequences within his judgment.
Why it matters
This passage serves searches around careless speech, responsibility, and why people talk lightly, while directly supporting the site's training in disciplined judgment.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 22 of 28 in Li Lou I. The cleanest entry point is "Men's being ready with their tongues arises simply…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about self-examination, disorder, and keeping the way and can be read alongside Human nature.
Broader search routes
If you came here with a wider question, start from the right hub page
Human nature is good: the starting point of moral growth
If your real query is broader than one citation, start from the theme page and use this passage as proof text.
Open human natureWho is Mencius?
If you first need the person, the aliases, and why he matters, start from the about page.
Open About MenciusMencius quotes and sayings
If you arrived through a famous line, start from the quotes hub and then return to the exact passage.
Open Mencius quotesMencius full text and works of Mencius
If you need the book structure, the works of Mencius, or where to read the text, start from the full-text hub.
Open the full-text hubBook context
Li Lou I often approaches disorder through self-examination and the standards for keeping the way.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not read it merely as a complaint about talkative people. Mencius is asking why speech loses gravity, and his answer is structural rather than temperamental.