Confucius Quotes
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The Path is not far from man. When men try to pursue a course, which is far from the common indications of consciousness, this course cannot be considered The Path.
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A reasonable man adjusts himself to the world. An unreasonable man expects the world to adjust itself to him. Therefore all progress is made by unreasonable people.
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There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth ... lust. When he is strong ... quarrelsomeness. When he is old ... covetousness.
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When you have become one with the Great Universal, you will have no partiality, and when you are part of the process of transformation, you will have no rigidity.
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Let a man be stimulated by poetry, established by the rules of propriety, and perfected by music.
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Learning without thought is labour lost.
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The people may be made to follow a path of action but they may not be made to understand it.
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The object of the superior man is truth.
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In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations, they first harmonized their families. Wishing to harmonize their families, they first cultivated themselves. Wishing to cultivate themselves, they first rectified their minds. Those who wished to rectify their minds first made their intentions sincere.
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The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.
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If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfil the requirements of that name?
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Wisdom is worried for being slow in its speech and expeditious in its actions.
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Plan ahead or find trouble on the doorstep.
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An inch of time on the sundial is worth more than a foot of jade.
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One who is by nature daring and is suffering from poverty will not long be law-abiding. Indeed, any men, save those that are truly good, if their sufferings are very great, will be likely to rebel.
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Every journey starts with a single step.
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In the Book of Poetry there are three hundred poems, but the meaning of all of them may be put in a single sentence: Have no debasing thoughts.
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The superior man cannot be known in little matters, but he may be entrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be entrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters.
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Make faithfulness and truth thy masters: have no friends unlike thyself: be not ashamed to mend thy faults.
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To be excellent when engaged in administration is to be like the North Star. As it remains in its one position, all the other stars surround it.
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If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.
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What is God-given is called nature; to follow nature is called Tao (the Way); to cultivate the way is called culture. Before joy, anger, sadness and happiness are expressed, they are called the inner self; when they are expressed to the proper degree, they are called harmony. The inner self is the correct foundation of the world, and the harmony is the illustrious Way. When a man has achieved the inner self and harmony, the heaven and earth are orderly and the myriad of things are nourished and grow thereby.
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Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.
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A wise man seeks by music to strengthen his soul: the thoughtless one uses it to stifle his fears.