在孟子看来，要想成为圣人就必须“保养本心”、善养“浩然之气”。孟子说这种“浩然之气”“至大至刚”，能够“塞于天地之间”，听起来似乎充满故弄玄虚的神秘色彩，实则仍以保养本性和加强仁义道德修养为旨归。纷繁世间，酒色财气，人生总是充满了欲望和诱惑，要想学做圣人就必须摆脱这些干扰。孟子认为，人们的差别不在于富贵贫贱，而在于能否保持高尚的道德，即做“仁人”。君子“以德服人”，“君子所以异于人者，以其存心也。君子以仁存心，以礼存心”。抵御外在物欲干扰，保养良好天性，既需要好的环境，更需要个人持之以恒的努力。因此，孟子更强调个人的立志和坚持，强调君子必须“穷不失义，达不离道”。
In Mencius" view, to be a saint, one must "maintain one"s original heart" and "cultivate one"s noble spirit". Mencius said that this kind of "great spirit" and "supremacy and rigidity" can be "plugged between heaven and earth", which seems to be full of mystical color, but in fact, it still aims to maintain nature and strengthen the cultivation of benevolence, righteousness and morality. The world is full of desires and temptations. If you want to learn to be a saint, you must get rid of these interferences. Mencius believed that the difference between people is not that they are rich and poor, but that they can maintain high morality, that is, to be "benevolent". A gentleman "conquers others by virtue", "a gentleman is different from others because of his intention. A gentleman has his heart in benevolence and his heart in propriety ". To resist the interference of external material desire and maintain a good nature requires not only a good environment, but also the persistent efforts of individuals. Therefore, Mencius emphasized the individual"s determination and persistence, and emphasized that the gentleman must be "destitute and righteous, and reach the Tao".
孟子反对的是大家都将“仁义”抛诸脑后而把眼睛紧盯在“利”上，反对“见利忘义”和“后义而先利”。他认为，如果人人都“怀利以相接”，“为人臣者怀利以事其君，为人子者怀利以事其父，为人弟者怀利以事其兄”，那就会导致人们不顾廉耻、互相倾轧，天下大乱。因此他提倡君子应该做到“仁民而爱物”，在鱼和熊掌“不可得兼”时，要舍利取义、“舍生取义”。
What Mencius opposed was that all of us put "benevolence and righteousness" behind us and focused on "benefit", and opposed "forget justice when seeing benefit" and "benefit before justice". In his opinion, if everyone "cherishes benefits to connect with each other", "those who are ministers will cherish benefits to serve their monarchs, those who are sons will cherish benefits to serve their fathers, and those who are younger brothers will cherish benefits to serve their brothers", it will lead to people"s disrespect, mutual strife and chaos in the world. Therefore, he advocated that a gentleman should be benevolent to the people and love things. When fish and bear"s paw are "not available at the same time", they should sacrifice profits for justice and "sacrifice life for justice".
与老子的清净无为不同，孟子奉行积极入世的人生观，有一种“当今之世，舍我其谁”的轩昂霸气，这比孔子的“道不行，乘桴浮于海”的无可奈何更为坚毅和充满斗争意志。他相信即使暂时遇到挫折和困难，那不过是一些必经的考验，人要想成功，必须经风雨、见世面。孟子认为人只有在逆境中奋斗，才能激发出强烈的进取精神。在面对困境时，“君子不怨天，不尤人”，“自任以天下之重”，以实现人生价值。
Different from Laozi"s purity, Mencius pursues a positive outlook on life, and has a kind of arrogance and domineering spirit of "who is willing to sacrifice in today"s world", which is more resolute and full of struggle will than Confucius"s he()lplessness of "Tao is not good, riding on the sea". He believes that even if we encounter setbacks and difficulties for the time being, they are only tests that we must pass. If we want to succeed, we must face the wind and rain and see the world. Mencius believed that only when people struggle in adversity can they inspire a strong enterprising spirit. In the face of difficulties, "a gentleman does not complain about the nature, does not pay special attention to people" and "takes the most important role in the world" to realize the value of life.
孟子还提出了理想的人生典范——大丈夫人格。在孟子看来，保持自我和完善人格才是理想的人格即所谓大丈夫：“居天下之广居，立天下之正位，行天下之大道”，“富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移，威武不能屈”。只有人格独立自主才能“无为其所不为”，才能“仰不愧于天，俯不怍于人”。
Mencius also put forward the ideal model of life - the personality of a great husband. In Mencius" view, to maintain self and perfect personality is the ideal personality, that is, the so-called great husband: "to live in the world widely, to establish the world"s right position, to walk the world"s road", "wealth cannot be prostituted, poverty cannot be removed, power cannot be defeated". Only with independent personality can we "do what we don"t do" and "look up to the sky and look up to people".
“仁人无敌于天下”，有了这样的修养和“浩然之气”，就能够无所畏惧。
"Benevolent people are invincible in the world", with such cultivation and "noble spirit", you can be fearless.
