Confucius Quotes
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Wisdom, humanity & courage, these three are universal virtues. The way by which they are practiced are one.
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To understand yourself is the key to wisdom.
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She who is born with beauty is born with a sorrow for many a man.
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To be fond of learning is near to wisdom; to practice with vigor is near to benevolence; and to be conscious of shame is near to fortitude.
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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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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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You cannot open a book without learning something.
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Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
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To err and not reform, this may indeed be called error.
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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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You can successfully force people to follow a certain course, but you cannot force them to understand it.
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The Master said, A gentleman, in his plans, thinks of the Way; he does not think how he is going to make a living. Even farming sometimes entails 5 times of shortage; and even learning may incidentally lead to high pay. But a gentleman's anxieties concern the progress of the Way; he has no anxiety concerning poverty.
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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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He who is harmony with Nature hits the mark without effort and apprehends the truth without thinking.
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Reviewing the day's lessons. Isn't it joyful? Friends come from far. Isn't it delightful? One has never been angry at other's misunderstanding. Isn't he a respectable man?
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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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Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.
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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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Give a man a fish, feed home for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed for a lifetime.
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To know and not do, is to not yet know.
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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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Our headstrong passions shut the door of our souls against God.
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A good man will certainly also possess courage; but a brave man is not necessarily good.