Confucius Quotes
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There are three things against which the wise man guards: lust when young, quarrels when strong, and covetousness when old.
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The small man thinks that small acts of goodness are of no benefit, and does not do them; and that small deeds of evil do no harm, and does not refrain from them. Hence, his wickedness becomes so great that it cannot be concealed, and his guilt so great that it cannot be pardoned.
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Table your mistakes, learn from them, then move on.
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Excessive (population) growth may reduce output per worker, repress levels of living for the masses and engender strife.
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The person who is not strong enough gives up at the halfway point - but you are limiting yourself before even starting.
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Man is born with uprightness. If one loses it, he will be lucky if he escapes with his life.
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By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.
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In archery we have something like the way of the superior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself.
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To acknowledge our faults when we are blamed, is modesty; to discover them to one's friends in ingenuousness, is confidence; but to preach them to all the world, if one does not take care, is pride.
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Listen much, keep silent when in doubt, and always take heed of the tongue; thou wilt make few mistakes. See much, beware of pitfalls, and always give heed to thy walk; thou wilt have little to rue. If thy words are seldom wrong, thy deeds leave little to rue, pay will follow.
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The gentleman holds justice to be of highest importance. If a gentleman has courage but neglects justice, he becomes insurgent. If an inferior man has courage but neglects justice, he becomes a thief.
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He who works for his own interests will arouse much animosity.
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In a hamlet of ten households, there are bound to be those who are my equal in doing their best for others and in being trustworthy in what they say, but they are unlikely to be as eager to learn as I am.
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Don't be concerned that you have no position; be concerned how you may fit yourself to occupy one.
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Roads were made for journeys not destinations.
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When a nation or family is about to flourish, there are sure to be happy omens; and when it is about to perish, there are sure to be unlucky omens.
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The man of upright life is obeyed before he speaks.
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Do not unto another that you would hot have him do unto you. Thou needest this law alone. It is the foundation of all the rest.
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Just as lavishness leads easily to presumption, so does frugality to meanness. But meanness is a far less serious fault than presumption.
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Wealth and rank are what men desire, but unless they be obtained in the right way they may not be possessed. Poverty and obscurity are what men detest; but unless prosperity be brought about in the right way, they are not to be abandoned.
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If I cannot get men who steer a middle course to associate with, I would far rather have the impetuous and hasty. For the impetuous at any rate assert themselves.
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I have never seen a man as fond of virtue as of women.
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A Nation's character is typified by its dancers.
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If the people are governed by laws and punishment is used to maintain order, they will try to avoid the punishment but have no sense of shame. If they are governed by virtue and rules of propriety are used to maintain order, they will have a sense of shame and will become good as well.