Confucius Quotes
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Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.
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Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.
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Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.
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Let every man consider virtue as what devolves on himself. He may not yield the performance of it even to his teacher.
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He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail.
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Tsze-Kung asked, “Is there one word with which to act in accordance throughout a lifetime?” The Master said, “Is not reciprocity such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
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A good man regards the root; he fixes the root, and ail else flows out of it. The root is filial piety; the fruit brotherly love.
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If the gentleman is not serious, he will not be respected, and his learning will not be on a firm foundation. He considers loyalty and faithfulness to be fundamental, has no friends who are not like him, and when he has made mistakes, he is not afraid of correcting them.
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Reading without thinking will confuse you.Thinking without reading will place you in danger.
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A workman who wants to do his work well must first prepare his tools.
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The real fault is to have faults and not amend them.
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The superior person tries to promote music as a means to the perfection of human culture. When such music prevails, and people's minds are led towards the right ideals and aspirations, we may see the appearance of a great nation.
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In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.
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When a man is guided by the principles of reciprocity and consciousness, he is not far from the moral law. Whatever you don't wish for yourself don't do unto others.
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Roads were made for journeys not destinations.
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Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.
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Isn't it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned?
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The superior man, extensively studying all learning, and keeping himself under the restraint of the rules of propriety, may thus likewise not overstep what is right.
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Men of principle are sure to be bold, but those who are bold may not always be men of principle.
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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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When music and courtesy are better understood and appreciated, there will be no war.
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A youth is to be regarded with respect.
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You do not understand even life. How can you understand death?
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The Master said, “A true gentleman is one who has set his heart upon the Way. A fellow who is ashamed merely of shabby clothing or modest meals is not even worth conversing with.” (Analects 4.9)