Confucius Quotes

To know is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.

Cultivate the root; the leaves and branches will take care of themselves.

Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.

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

Do not worry if others do not understand you. Instead worry if you do not understand others.

Have no friends not equal to yourself.

The sun and moon shine on all without partiality.

You judge yourself by what you think you can achieve, others judge you by what have achieved.

Remember even when alone, that the divine is everywhere.

Man is born with uprightness. If one loses it, he will be lucky if he escapes with his life.

Signs and symbols rule the world, not words nor laws.

To take what you know for what you know, and what you do not know for what you do not know, that is knowledge indeed.

Don't let your past determine your destiny.

To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.

Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage.

Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life.

I am not bothered by the fact that I am not understood. I am bothered when I do not know others.

Man is born for uprightness. If a man lose his uprightness and yet live, his escape from death is mere good fortune.

Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.

In archery we have something like the way of the superior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself.

A man who lacks reliability is utterly useless.

He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.

A wise man has dignity without pride; a fool has pride without dignity.

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.

The mirror reflects all objects without being sullied

Act with kindness but do not expect gratitude.

It is the law of nature that woman should be held under the dominance of man.

When nature exceeds culture, we have the rustic. When culture exceeds nature, we have the pedant.

There are 1,000 lessons in defeat. But only one in victory.

All people are the same; only their habits differ.

We are so busy doing the urgent that we don't have time to do the important.

Do not worry about not holding high position; worry rather about playing your proper role. Worry not that no one knows of you; seek to be worth knowing.

We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression; the heart of a wise man should resemble a mirror, which reflects every object without being sullied by any

It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.

As the water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it, so a wise man adapts himself to circumstances.

Those who cannot forgive others break the bridge over which they themselves must pass.

The archer who misses his mark does not blame the target. He stops, corrects himself and shoots again.

Reviewing what you have learned and learning anew, you are fit to be a teacher.

Study without reflection is a waste of time; reflection without study is dangerous.

If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.

The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.

Expect much from yourself and little from others and you will avoid incurring resentments

Teachers open the door ... you enter by yourself.

Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.

Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?

If you try to do too much, you will not achieve anything.

Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.

Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.

Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods.