Confucius Quotes

Waste begets self-will; thrift begets meanness: but better be mean than self-willed.

Heaven is author of the virtue that is in me

The superior man * * * in regard to his speech * * * is anxious that it should be sincere.

Baseball is wrong, man with four balls cannot walk

A Nation's character is typified by its dancers.

To study and at times practice what one has learned, is this not a pleasure?

The wise are free from perplexities; the virtuous from anxiety; and the bold from fear.

He who works for his own interests will arouse much animosity

Don't make to others what you don't want them to make to you.

To know it is not as good as to love it, and to love it is not as good as to take delight in it.

When you breathe, you inspire, and when you do not breathe, you expire.

The superior man is intelligently, not blindly, faithful.

Guide the people by law, subdue them by punishment; they may shun crime, but will be void of shame. Guide them by example, subdue them by courtesy; they will learn shame, and come to be good.

A man who does not forget an agreement is resolved and honorable man.

A blemish may be removed from a diamond by careful polishing, but evil words once spoken cannot be effaced.

He with whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind, nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh, are successful may be called intelligent indeed.

A man who reviews the old so as to find out the new is qualified to teach others.

The way of the superior person is threefold; virtuous, they are free from anxieties; wise they are free from perplexities; and bold they are free from fear.

Know what you know and know that you don't know what you don't know — that is the characteristic of one who knows.

To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. When you say something, say what you know. When you don't know something, say you don't know. That is knowledge.

To become a leader, you must first become a human being

A gentleman is ashamed to let his words outrun his deeds.

Sincerity is the end and beginning of things; without sincerity there would be nothing.

There are three things against which the wise man guards: lust when young, quarrels when strong, and covetousness when old.

If names are not correct, then language is not in accord with the truth of things. If language is not in accord with the truth of things, then affairs cannot be carried out successfully.

In a State, pecuniary gain is not to be considered to be prosperity, but its prosperity will be found in righteousness.

In teaching there should be no distinction of classes.

The gentleman prefers to be slow in word but diligent in action.

The injury of prodigality leads to this, that he who will not economize will have to agonize.

Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.

Cultivated people foster what is good in others, not what is bad. Petty people do the opposite.

The superior man governs men, according to their nature, with what is proper to them, and as soon as they change what is wrong, he stops.

If you don't want to do something,don't impose on others

What the great learning teaches, is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence.

The superior man sets his person at rest before he moves; he composes his mind before he speaks.

A scholar who loves comfort is not fit to be called a scholar.

If a man sets his heart on benevolence he will be free from evil.

I have yet to meet a man as fond of high moral conduct as he is of outward appearances.

Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone might be looking. Hear and you forget, see and you remember, do and you understand.

You can successfully force people to follow a certain course, but you cannot force them to understand it.

Be strict with yourself but least reproachful of others and complaint is kept afar.

A knight whose heart is set upon the Way, but who is ashamed of wearing shabby clothes and eating coarse food, is not worth calling into counsel.

There is good government when those who are near are made happy, and when those who are afar are attracted.

Do unto others what you want done unto you.

He who rules by moral force is like the pole star, which remains in place while all the lesser stars do homage to it.

For one word a man is often deemed to be wise, and for one word he is often deemed to be foolish. We should be careful indeed what we say.

The silent treasuring up of knowledge; learning without satiety; and instructing others without being wearied: which one of these things belongs to me?

Men of principle are sure to be bold, but those who are bold may not always be men of principle.

It is better to live in peace than in bitterness and strife

Worry not that no one knows you; seek to be worth knowing.