Confucius Quotes
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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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The great mountain must collapse, the mighty beam must break and the wise man wither like a plant.
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We should keep the dead before our eyes, and honor them as though still living.
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The superior man limits his achievements.
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A gentleman considers what is right; the vulgar consider what will pay.
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The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action.
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If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.
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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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He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.
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When things are investigated, then true knowledge is achieved; when true knowledge is achieved, then the will becomes sincere; when the will is sincere, then the heart is set right ; when the heart is set right, then the personal life is cultivated; when the personal life is cultivated, then the family life is regulated; when the family life is regulated, then the national life is orderly; and when the national life is orderly, then there is peace in this world.
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Don't worry about being acknowledged by others; worry about failing to acknowledge them.
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Silence is a true friend who never betrays.
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When we have intelligence resulting from sincerity, this condition is to be ascribed to nature; when we have sincerity resulting from intelligence, this condition is to be ascribed to instruction. But given the sincerity, and there shall be the intelligence; given the intelligence, and there shall be the sincerity.
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When you breathe, you inspire, and when you do not breathe, you expire.
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It is not possible for one to teach others who cannot teach his own family.
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Cultivate the root; the leaves and branches will take care of themselves.
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Do not wish for quick results, nor look for small advantages. If you seek quick results, you will not reach the ultimate goal. If you are led astray by small advantages, you will never accomplish great things.
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To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage, or of principle.
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What you dislike in your superiors, avoid doing to your inferiors. What you dislike in your inferiors, avoid doing when working for your superiors. What you hate in those who are in front of you, do not do to those behind you.
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The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, and who can say to himself, I shall today be uppermost.
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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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What is most needed for learning is a humble mind.
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Lead the people with administrative injunctions and put them in their place with penal law, and they will avoid punishments but will be without a sense of shame. Lead them with excellence and put them in their place through roles and ritual practices, and in addition to developing a sense of shame, they will order themselves harmoniously.