Asked to rank the kinds of gentlemen, Confucius gave the lowest rank to the man who keeps every word and finishes every act. 言必信，行必果，硁硁然小人哉. “His words must be kept, his acts must be carried through. He is a stubborn little man, though he may still count as the next rank down.” (Analects 13.20)
Mencius said: “A great man’s words need not be kept, his acts need not be carried through. He goes only where righteousness lies.” (Mencius, Li Lou II)
Modern dictionaries give the first line a positive meaning: always keep one’s word and act with resolve.