Confucius Quotes

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.

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

You must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.

If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear?

If you want to change the world, first change your heart.

A good man regards the root; he fixes the root, and ail else flows out of it. The root is filial piety; the fruit brotherly love.

It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.

When I am with others, they are my teachers. I can select their good points and follow them, and select their bad points and avoid them.

The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.

Being strong does not mean that you never fall down, but that whenever you fall, you get up again.

You cannot open a book without learning something.

If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children.

The superior person is in harmony, but does not follow the crowd. The lesser person follows the crowd, but is not in harmony.

Great is the man who can overcome the world, but greater still is the man who can overcome himself, for he will have the world spinning on the palm of his hand.

Respect yourself and others will respect you.

What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.

Men do not stumble over mountains, but over mole hills.

If you yourself desire establishment, then help others to get establishment; if you yourself want success, then help others to attain success.

The superior man... does not set his mind either for or against anything, he will pursue whatever is right. The superior man thinks of virtue, the common man of comfort.

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

Knowledge without practice is useless. Practice without knowledge is dangerous.

To know and not do, is to not yet know.

Reading without thinking will confuse you.Thinking without reading will place you in danger.

The superior person is calm and composed; the lesser person is continuously worried and distressed.

When anger rises, think of the consequences.

A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present?

Every truth has four corners: as a teacher I give you one corner, and it is for you to find the other three.

The ideal teacher guides his students but does not pull them along; he urges them to go forward and does not suppress them; he opens the way but does not take them to the place.

Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.

The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills. The wise are active; the virtuous are tranquil. The wise are joyful; the virtuous are long-lived.

Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established

Love is like a spice. It can sweeten your life - however, it can spoil it, too.

The father who does not teach his son his duties is equally guilty with the son who neglects them.

Base yourself in loyalty and trust. Don't be companion with those who are not your moral equal. When you make a mistake, don't hesitate to correct it.

A fool despises good counsel, but a wise man takes it to heart.

Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.

The man of wisdom is never of two minds; the man of benevolence never worries; the man of courage is never afraid.

To be fond of learning is near to wisdom.

A man who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake.

The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, and who can say to himself, I shall today be uppermost.

Be in harmony, yet be different.

Do not use a cannon to kill a mosquito.

Heaven means to be one with God.

You can cheat an honest man but not make a fool out of him.

It is better to play than do nothing.

The chase of gain is rich in hate

Study the past, if you would divine the future.

The superior man loves his soul; the inferior man loves his property.

The perfecting of one's self is the fundamental base of all progress and all moral development.