Confucius Quotes

It is better to light one small candle of gratitude than to curse the darkness.

Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it. To see it a person only needs to imagine how it could be worse.

Do not answer the person whose questions are vile. Do not question a person whose answers are vile.

When you have become one with the Great Universal, you will have no partiality, and when you are part of the process of transformation, you will have no rigidity.

A hammer shatters glass but it also forges steel.

He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.

There are those men who say to repay evil with kindness. But I say, how then are we to repay kindness? Repay kindness with kindness, but repay evil with justice.

To be truly happy and contented, you must let go of what it means to be happy or content.

He who is harmony with Nature hits the mark without effort and apprehends the truth without thinking.

There are three marks of a superior man: being virtuous, he is free from anxiety; being wise, he is free from perplexity; being brave, he is free from fear.

The person of benevolence never worries.

A wise man seeks by music to strengthen his soul: the thoughtless one uses it to stifle his fears.

Study the past if you want to define the future.

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.

Rather than caring about whether or not you are known, strive to be worth knowing.

Stars are holes in the sky from which the light of the infinite shines.

A lion chased me up a tree, and I greatly enjoyed the view from the top.

No lake so still but it has its wave. No circle so perfect but that it has its blur. I would change things for you if I could; As I can't you must take them as they are.

All wisdom is rooted in learning to call things by the right name. When things are properly identified, they fall into natural categories and understanding becomes orderly.

Don't be concerned about others not appreciating you. Be concerned about your not appreciating others.

The love to Wisdom is getting closer to the own bright path.

Transport a handful of earth everyday and you will make a mountain.

The superior man is slow in his words and earnest in his conduct.

When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self.

When you see a worthy person, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy person, then examine your inner self.

Give a man a fish, feed home for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed for a lifetime.

Learn as though you would never be able to master it; hold it as though you would be in fear of losing it.

A gentleman can see a question from all sides without bias. The small man is biased and can see a question only from one side.

Every man knows the smell of his own fart.

We can know a person by observing his behaviour, understanding the reasons for his actions and ascertaining his intentions. If we do this, how can we not know him?

Don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you.

Excessive (population) growth may reduce output per worker, repress levels of living for the masses and engender strife

To understand yourself is the key to wisdom.

A superior man in dealing with the world is not for anything or against anything. He follows righteousness as the standard.

Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly.

It doesn't make a difference how gradually you go so long as you don't stop.

The faults of a superior person are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and everyone sees them; they change and everyone looks up to them.

Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge.

Words are the voice of the heart.

A youth is to be regarded with respect.

The funniest people are the saddest once

When a wise man points at the moon the imbecile examines the finger.

It cannot be when the root is neglected that what springs from it will be well ordered.

A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses. If you are generous, you will gain everything.

The most beautiful sight in the world is a little child going confidently down the road of life after you have shown him the way.

The determined scholar and the man of virtue will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their virtue. They will even sacrifice their lives to preserve their virtue complete.

Look at the means which a man employs, consider his motives, observe his pleasures. A man simply cannot conceal himself!

The man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others.

I want you to be everything that's you, deep at the center of your being.

An inconvenience is an unrecognized opportunity.