Confucius Quotes
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In old days men studied for the sake of self-improvement; nowadays men study in order to impress other people.
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A gentleman would be ashamed should his deeds not match his words.
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It is the obligation of the ruler to continually renew himself in order to renew the people by his example.
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To become a leader, you must first become a human being.
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If a man remembers what is right at the sign of profit, is ready to lay down his life in the face of danger, and does not forget sentiments he has repeated all his life when he has been in straitened circumstances for a long time, he may be said to be a complete man.
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If my mind be not engaged in worship, it is as though I worshipped not.
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Coarse rice to eat, water to drink, my bended arm for a pillow - therein is happiness. Wealth and rank attained through immoral means are nothing but drifting clouds.
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The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage.
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When the perfect order prevails, the world is like a home shared by all. Leaders are capable and virtuous. Everyone loves and respects their own parents and children as well as the parents and children of others. The old are cared for, adults have jobs, children are nourished and educated. There is a means of support for all those who are disabled or find themselves alone in the world. Everyone has an appropriate role to play in the family and society. Devotion to public duty leaves no place for idleness. Scheming for ill gain is unknown. Sharing displaces selfishness and materialism.
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Not feeling compassion for a stranger is like not feeling when one's foot has caught fire.
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To think twice is quite enough.
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The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.
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All things are nourished together without their injuring one another. The courses of the seasons, and of the sun and moon, are pursued without any collision among them. The smaller energies are like river currents; the greater energies are seen in mighty transformations. It is this which makes heaven and earth so great.
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Be loyal to yourself, charitable to neighbours, nothing more.
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The funniest people are the saddest once.
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Do unto others as you wish others do unto you.
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If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.
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When anger rises, think of the consequences.
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The parents age must be remembered, both for joy and anxiety.
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The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree.
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I daily examine myself on three points: In planning for others, have I failed in conscientiousness? In intercourse with friends, have I been insincere? And have I failed to practice what I have been taught?
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Never contract friendship with a man that is not better than thyself.
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To study and constantly, is this not a pleasure? To have friends come from far away places, is this not a joy? If people do not recognize your worth, but this does not worry you, are you not a true gentleman?
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A person of character takes as much trouble to discover what is right as the lesser men take to discover what will pay.