Confucius Quotes

Wenn du weißt, behaupte, dass du es weißt. Und wenn du etwas nicht weißt, gib zu, dass du es nicht weißt. Das ist Wissen.

Wenn man noch nicht das Leben kennt, wie sollte man den Tod kennen.

Wenn man noch nicht den Menschen dienen kann, wie sollte man den Geistern dienen können?

Am I a man of great wisdom? Hardly! Even when a simple person brings me a question, my mind goes utterly blank, I just thrash it out until I’ve exhausted every possibility.

What the superior man seeks is in himself what the small man seeks is in others.

If things far away don’t concern you, you’ll soon mourn things close at hand.

Don’t grieve when people fail to recognize your ability. Grieve for your lack of ability instead.

If a craftsman wants to do good work, he must first sharpen his tools.

The noble-minded worry about their lack of ability, not about people’s failure to recognize their ability.

Learning without thought is labor lost thought without learning is perilous.

In worthy teaching, all things are related.

How can you love people without encouraging them? And how can you be loyal to people without educating them.

The funniest people are the saddest ones

Where words lose their meaning, people lose their lives.

Study the past if you would define the future.

Think of tomorrow, the past can't be mended.

If you expect great things of yourself and demand little of others, you’ll keep resentment far away.

A noble minded person is not an implement.

The gentleman understands what is moral. The small man understands what is profitable.

Better light a candle than curse the darkness.

To rank the effort above the prize may be called love.

There is nothing more real than what cannot be seen and there is nothing more certain than what cannot be heard.

A legendary horse is praised not for its strength, but for its Integrity.

Naming enables the noble-minded to speak, and speech enables the noble-minded to act. Therefore, the noble-minded are anything but careless in speech.

Language is insight itself.

If I raise one corner for someone and he cannot come back with the other three, I do not go on.

To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.

He who searches for evil, must first look at his own reflection.

cautiously, you avoid trouble. See all that you can – then, if you forget the perilous and

Ji Wenzi always thought thrice before acting. Hearing this the Master said, "Twice is enough.

The gentleman does not promote people merely on the basis of their words, nor does he reject words merely because of the person who uttered them.

If you look at their intentions, examine their motives, and scrutinize what brings them contentment – how can people hide who they are? How can they hide who they really are?

The noble-minded encourage what is beautiful in people and discourage what is ugly in them. Little people do just the opposite.

A gentleman is not a pot.

The Master said, “A true gentleman is one who has set his heart upon the Way. A fellow who is ashamed merely of shabby clothing or modest meals is not even worth conversing with.”(Analects 4.9)

The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is right, whereas the petty man understands profit.”(Analects 4.16)

The Master said, “The gentleman does not serve as a vessel.”(Analects 2.12)

He who is concerned only with the purity of his own life ruins the great human relations.

When everyone hates a person, you should investigate thoroughly, and when everyone loves a person, you should also investigate thoroughly.

In following the Way, the noble-minded treasure three things: a manner free of violence and arrogance, a countenance full of sincerity and trust, a voice free of vulgarity and impropriety.

He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.

Lord Chi Wen thought three times before taking any action. When the Master heard this, he said: Twice is plenty enough.

Poor food and water for dinner, a bent arm for a pillow – that is where joy resides. For me, wealth and renown without honor are nothing but drifting clouds.

Clever talk, ingratiating looks, fawning reverence: Tso-ch’iu Ming found that shameful, and so do I. Friendly while harboring resentment: Tso-ch’iu Ming found that shameful, too, and so do I.

The grass must bend when the wind blows across it.

The superior man is modest in his speech but excels in his actions.

The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man perfected without trials.

The superior man makes the difficulty to be overcome his first interest success comes only later.

To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.

He who will not economize will have to agonize.