 According to Ban, humility is one of the main virtues women should aim to cultivate. Humility here is understood as “putting others before oneself” (xian ren hou ji 先人後己). This seems to be an extension of the view expressed in the Analects of Confucius (12.1), that “restraining the self and returning to ritual” is the key to developing virtue. Despite Ban’s following of traditional norms throughout the Nüjie, there are certain passages where we see criticism of common practices of her society, including the neglect of education of women and girls. She writes: