Confucius Quotes

The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability

To be in one's own heart in kindly sympathy with all things; this is the nature of righteousness

People with virtue must speak out; People who speak are not all virtuous.

If I am virtuous and worthy, for whom should I not maintain a proper concern?

Labor, but slight not meditation; meditate, but slight not labor.

Good is no hermit. It has ever neighbors.

Justice for All in the World

Faithfulness and sincerity first of all.

I have not seen one who loves virtue as he loves beauty.

You will never know how sharp a sword is unless it's drawn from its sheath

The wise man delights in water, the Good man delights in mountains. For the wise move; but the Good stay still. The wise are happy; but the good secure.

If an urn lacks the characteristics of an urn, how can we call it an urn?

Virtue is not solitary; it is bound to have neighbors

The rich fool is like a pig that is choked by its own fat.

In the Book of Poetry there are three hundred poems, but the meaning of all of them may be put in a single sentence: Have no debasing thoughts.

Let mourning stop when one's grief is fully expressed.

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.

The demands that good people make are upon themselves; Those that bad people make are upon others.

Slater soaks into the mind as water into low and marshy places, where it becomes stagnant and offensive.

In your promises cleave to what is right, And you will be able to fulfill your word.

With a heavy load and a long journey

Coarse rice to eat, water to drink, my bended arm for a pillow - therein is happiness. Wealth and rank attained through immoral means are nothing but drifting clouds.

Many seek happiness higher than men; others beneath him. But happiness is the same height as man.

Humankind differs from the animals only by a little and most people throw that away.

All things are already complete in oneself.

Even if people do not know what real kindness is, they nonetheless have it within them.

We take greater pains to persuade others that we are happy than in endeavoring to think so ourselves

Even in killing men, observe the rules of propriety.

Possessed of courage but devoid of morality, a superior man will make trouble while a small man will be a brigand.

The Essence of Knowledge is, having it, to use it.

A man of humanity is one who, in seeking to establish himself, finds a foothold for others and who, in desiring attaining himself, helps others to attain.

If a man is not good, what has he to do with the rules of propriety? If he is not good, what has he to do with music?

Sincerity is that whereby self-completion is effected, and its way is that by which man must direct himself.

The man of upright life is obeyed before he speaks.

Even four harnessed horses cannot bring imprudent words back into the mouth.

He who kisses girl on hillside is not level

How should I know anything about another world when I know so little of this?

It was by music that the ancient kings gave elegant expression to their joy. By their armies and axes they gave the same to their anger.

If doing what ought to be done be made the first business and success a secondary consideration--is not this the way to exalt virtue?

When a man feels the difficulty of doing, can he be other than cautious and slow in speaking?

If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfil the requirements of that name?

I am not an originator but a transmitter.

There are cases in which the blade springs, but the plant does not go on to flower. There are cases where it flowers, but no fruit is subsequently produced.

If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame.

A happy union with wife and child is like the music of lutes and harps.

Being in humaneness is good. If we select other goodness and thus are far apart from humaneness, how can we be the wise?

In his dealings with the world, the gentleman is not invariably for or against anything. He is on the side of what is moral.

Only the supremely wise and the ignorant do not alter.

A picture is poem without words.

Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! Virtue is at hand.