Confucius Quotes
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Can there be a love which does not make demands on its object?
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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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Learning without thought is labour lost.
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Friendship with the upright, with the truthful and with the well informed is beneficial. Friendship with those who flatter, with those who are meek and who compromise with principles, and with those who talk cleverly is harmful.
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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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When you know a thing, to hold that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge.
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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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Wisdom is worried for being slow in its speech and expeditious in its actions.
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If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfil the requirements of that name?
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When the multitude detests a man, inquiry is necessary; when the multitude likes a man, inquiry is equally necessary.
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Knowledge is recognizing what you know and what you don't.
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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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Ceremonies are the first thing to be attended to in the practice of government.
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The young should be dutiful at home, modest abroad, careful and true, overflowing in kindness for all, but in brotherhood with love. And if they have strength to spare they should spend it on the arts.
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Exemplary people concern themselves with virtue, small people concern themselves with territory. The ruling class thinks of punishment, the lower classes hope for benevolence.
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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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The people may be made to follow a path of action but they may not be made to understand it.
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Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator.
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A wise man seeks by music to strengthen his soul: the thoughtless one uses it to stifle his fears.
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True wisdom is knowing what you don't know.
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The highest kind of man is the one who does before talking and practices what he professes.
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It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.
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Every piece of marble has a statue in it waiting to be released by a person of sufficient skill to chip away the unnecessary parts. Just as the sculptor is to the marble, so is education to the soul. It releases it. For only educated people are free people. You cannot create a statue by smashing the marble with a hammer, and you cannot by the force of arms release the spirit or the soul of people.
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Good is no hermit. It has ever neighbors.