This might not go anywhere far, but here goes first:
Confucius:
14:1 "Xian (Yuan Si) asked what is shameful. The Master said, When a state follows the Way, one receives an official stipend. But when a state is without the Way, to receive an official stipend is shameful."
15:17 "The Master said, Groups gathered together all day, not a word touching what is right, happy in carrying out their petty schemes—don’t look for much from them!"
Gervais Principle:
Venkatesh Rao wrote:The Losers like to feel good about their lives. They are the happiness seekers, rather than will-to-power players, and enter and exit reactively, in response to the meta-Darwinian trends in the economy.
The Losers like to feel good about their lives. They are the happiness seekers, rather than will-to-power players, and enter and exit reactively, in response to the meta-Darwinian trends in the economy.
Doesn't that describe 99.9% of humans throught history? FWIW, the only guy from my highschool class who tried to walk off the beaten path is also the only guy already dead from that class (died at 38).