following one's heart without transgressing what is right
A classical idiomatic expression from the Analects of Confucius, describing the ideal state where one's natural desires align with moral principles. Rare in modern conversation; used in literary or philosophical contexts.
It is difficult to reach the state of 'following the desires of one's heart without transgressing what is right.'
From the Analects of Confucius (Lunyu), Book 2, Chapter 4, where Confucius describes his own moral development at age seventy.