Confucius Quotes
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Without goodness a man cannot endure adversity for long, nor can he enjoy prosperity for long. The good man is naturally at ease with goodness. The wise man cultivates goodness for its advantage.
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Men do not stumble over mountains, but over mole hills.
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If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.
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If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.
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Listen widely to remove your doubts and be careful when speaking about the rest and your mistakes will be few. See much and get rid of what is dangerous and be careful in acting on the rest and your causes for regret will be few. Speaking without fault, acting without causing regret: 'upgrading' consists in this.
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A gentleman is calm and spacious: the vulgar are always fretting.
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The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is right, whereas the petty man understands profit.” (Analects 4.16)
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When you see a good man, try to emulate his example, and when you see a bad man, search yourself for his faults.
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The great mountain must collapse, the mighty beam must break and the wise man wither like a plant.
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A gentleman considers what is right; the vulgar consider what will pay.
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The Master said, "To study, and then in a timely fashion to practice what you have learned - is this not satisfying? To have companions arrive from afar - is this not a joy? To remain unrecognized by others and yet remain free of resentment - is this not the mark of the gentleman?"
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A good man does not make a warrior, just as good steel does not go for nails.
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Kind words elicit trust. Kind thoughts create depth. Kind deeds bring love.
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Cultivate the root; the leaves and branches will take care of themselves.
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The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action.
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The superior man limits his achievements.
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I was complaining that I had no shoes till I met a man who had no feet.
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He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.
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To know that one knows what one knows, and to know that one doesn't know what one doesn't know, there lies true wisdom.
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We are so busy doing the urgent that we don't have time to do the important.
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The superior man is universally minded and no partisan. The inferior man is a partisan and not universal.
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Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.
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Think no vice so small that you may commit it, and no virtue so small that you may over look it.
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Study as though you cannot catch up to it, and as though you fear you are going to lose it.