Confucius Quotes

The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue.

A truly great man never puts away the simplicity of a child.

The inner nature of man is the province of Music.

If I understand Change, I shall make no great mistake in Life

It is the obligation of the ruler to continually renew himself in order to renew the people by his example.

What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others.

Of all that Heaven produces and nourishes, there is none so great as man.

Without Goodness one cannot enjoy enduring happiness

Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.

We should keep the dead before our eyes, and honor them as though still living

If one should desire to know whether a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish the answer.

Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.

The object of the superior man is truth.

When people are educated, the distinction between classes disappears.

Big head, target for enemy; big heart, target for friend.

Without that innate sense of human worth, a man cannot long endure adversity, nor can he long enjoy prosperity.

Your eyes are always bigger than your stomach.

The higher type of man clings to virtue, the lower type of man clings to material comfort. The higher type of man cherishes justice, the lower type of man cherishes the hope of favors to be received.

To govern is to correct. If you set an example by being correct, who would dare to remain incorrect?

To think twice is quite enough.

What the wise seek is in themselves

It is only the very wisest and the very stupidest who never change.

In vain I have looked for a single man capable of seeing his own faults and bringing the charge home against himself.

An angry man is full of poison.

For benefits return benefits; for injuries return justice without any admixture of revenge.

The highest kind of man is the one who does before talking and practices what he professes.

The main object of conciliation lies in reaching a solution to a case based upon morals and with a warm heart.

Those who break down the dikes will themselves be drowned in the inundation.

A true gentleman makes demands upon himself but not upon others.

To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.

If you would govern a state of a thousand chariots (a small-to-middle-size state), you must pay strict attention to business, be true to your word, be economical in expenditure and love the people.

True goodness springs from a man's own heart. All men are born good.

Let a man be stimulated by poetry, established by the rules of propriety, and perfected by music.

Gentlemen should not waste their time on trivial games -- they should play go[3]

Be loyal to yourself, charitable to neighbours, nothing more.

Music is the one thing in which there is no use trying to deceive others or make false pretenses.

The superior man undergoes three changes. Looked at from a distance, he appears stern; when approached, he is mild; when he is heard to speak, his language is firm and decided.

The man of humanity delights in mountains

Only by perfect virtue can the perfect path, in all its courses, be made a fact.

The Way is not for, but from, man; if we take the Way as something superhuman, beyond man, this is not the real Way.

Study as if you have not reached your goal - hold it as if you were afraid of losing what you have.

Who keeps the old akindle and adds new knowledge is fitted to be a teacher.

If you don't know how to serve men, why worry about serving the gods?

When there are duties to perform [true] servants and sons serve their labors.

If I hold up one corner of a square and the student cannot workout the other three for himself, I won't go any further.

There is nothing more visible than what is secret, and nothing more manifest than what is minute.

The person who is not strong enough gives up at the halfway point - but you are limiting yourself before even starting.

There is nothing impossible in all the world except that the heart of man is wanting in resolution.

Knowing something is not as good as liking it. Liking something is not as good as rejoicing in it.

The general of a large army may be defeated, but you cannot defeat the determined mind of a peasant.