Confucius Quotes
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If doing what ought to be done be made the first business and success a secondary consideration--is not this the way to exalt virtue?
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To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.
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The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.
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No lake so still but it has its wave. No circle so perfect but that it has its blur. I would change things for you if I could; As I can't you must take them as they are.
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If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?
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What can a man do with music who is not benevolent?
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If I do not participate in the sacrifice, it is as if I did not sacrifice at all.
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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.
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The parents age must be remembered, both for joy and anxiety.
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If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things.
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Excess weakens the spirits.
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A good man is not mine to see. Could I see a man possessed of constancy, that would satisfy me.
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The journey with a 1000 miles begins with one step.
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Unify your attention. Do not listen with your ears, but with your mind. Do not listen with your mind but with your essence.
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When we see persons of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see persons of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.
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A true gentleman makes demands upon himself but not upon others.
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Study the past if you would define the future. I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there. Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
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A man is great not because he hasn't failed; a man is great because failure hasn't stopped him.
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Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge.
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When I am with others, they are my teachers. I can select their good points and follow them, and select their bad points and avoid them.
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The superior person is calm and composed; the lesser person is continuously worried and distressed.
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The man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others.
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If there were one word that could act as a standard of conduct for one's entire life, perhaps it would be 'thoughtfulness.
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We can know a person by observing his behaviour, understanding the reasons for his actions and ascertaining his intentions. If we do this, how can we not know him?