Confucius Quotes
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There has never been a man mean and at the same time virtuous.
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The Master said of Gong Yechang, “He is marriageable. Although he was once imprisoned and branded as a criminal, he was in fact innocent of any crime.” The Master gave him his daughter in marriage. (Analects 5.1)
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Writing cannot express all words, words cannot encompass all ideas.
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Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.
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If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot.
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A gentleman wishes to be slow to speak and quick to act.
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If the search for riches were sure to be successful, though I should become a groom with a whip in my hand to get them, I will do so. As the search may not be successful, I will follow after that which I love.
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The silent treasuring up of knowledge; learning without satiety; and instructing others without being wearied: which one of these things belongs to me?
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One who will study for three years. Without thought of reward. Would be hard indeed to find.
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You can successfully force people to follow a certain course, but you cannot force them to understand it.
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Is any one able for one day to apply his strength to virtue? I have not seen the case in which his strength would be sufficient.
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Instead of being concerned that you have no office, be concerned to think how you may fit yourself for office. Instead of being concerned that you are not known, seek to be worthy of being known.
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The superior person is in harmony, but does not follow the crowd. The lesser person follows the crowd, but is not in harmony.
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Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
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You judge yourself by what you think you can achieve, others judge you by what have achieved.
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Know what you know and know that you don't know what you don't know — that is the characteristic of one who knows.
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Give a man a fish, feed home for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed for a lifetime.
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The Master said, “What a worthy man was Yan Hui! Living in a narrow alley, subsisting upon meager bits of rice and water—other people could not have borne such hardship, and yet it never spoiled Hui’s joy. What a worthy man was Hui!” (Analects 6.11)
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An image is better than one thousand words.
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The faults of a superior person are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and everyone sees them; they change and everyone looks up to them.
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The virtuous will be sure to speak uprightly; but those whose speech is upright may not be virtuous.
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To know and not do, is to not yet know.
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To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.
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A good man will certainly also possess courage; but a brave man is not necessarily good.