Confucius Quotes
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To err and not reform, this may indeed be called error.
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At fifteen my mind was directed to study, and at thirty I knew where to stand.
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The gentleman is calm and at ease. The gentleman is dignified but not proud; the small man is proud but not dignified.
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There has never been a man mean and at the same time virtuous.
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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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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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Transport a handful of earth everyday and you will make a mountain.
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What the wise seek is in themselves.
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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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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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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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Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.
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Writing cannot express all words, words cannot encompass all ideas.
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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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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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Give a man a fish, feed home for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed for a lifetime.
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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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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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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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To know and not do, is to not yet know.
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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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A good man will certainly also possess courage; but a brave man is not necessarily good.