Quotes by Confucius
The following are quotes from Confucius:
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
A man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble right at his door.
Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.
By nature, men are nearly alike by practice, they get to be wide apart.
By three methods we may learn wisdom First, by reflection, which is noblest Second, by imitation, which is easiest and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Do not use a cannon to kill a mosquito.
Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.
Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.
Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.
Have no friends not equal to yourself.
He does not preach what he practices till he has practiced what he preaches.
He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it.
He who learns but does not think, is lost He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.
He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.
He who will not economize will have to agonize.
He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own.
He with whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind, nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh, are successful may be called intelligent indeed.
Heaven means to be one with God.
Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.
I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there.
I do not want a friend Who smiles when I smile Who weeps when I weep For my shadow in the pool Can do better than that.
I have not seen a person who loved virtue, or one who hated what was not virtuous. He who loved virtue would esteem nothing above it.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.
If a man withdraws his mind from the love of beauty, and applies it as sincerely to the love of the virtuous if, in serving his parents, he can exert his utmost strength if, in serving his prince, he can devote his life if in his intercourse with his friends, his words are sincere - although men say that he has not learned, I will certainly say that he has.
If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.
If we don't know life, how can we know death
Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star.
Is virtue a thing remote I wish to be virtuous, and lo Virtue is at hand.
It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
It is only the wisest and the stupidest that cannot change.
Learning without thought is labor lost thought without learning is perilous.
Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.
Men's natures are alike, it is their habits that carry them far apart.
Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.
Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.
Respect yourself and others will respect you.
Silence is a friend who will never betray.
Silence is the true friend that never betrays.
Study the past if you would define the future.
The cautious seldom err.
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.
The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it not having it, to confess your ignorance.
The expectations of life depend upon diligence the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.
The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue.
The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration.
The man who in view of gain thinks of righteousness who in the view of danger is prepared to give up his life and who does not forget an old agreement however far back it extends - such a man may be reckoned a complete man.
The object of the superior man is truth.
The people may be made to follow a path of action, but they may not be made to understand it.
The perfecting of one's self is the fundamental base of all progress and all moral development.
The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.
The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions.
The superior man cannot be known in little matters, but he may be entrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be entrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters.
The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
The superior man is satisfied and composed the mean man is always full of distress.
The superior man makes the difficulty to be overcome his first interest success only comes later.
The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.
The superior man...does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything what is right he will follow.
The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, and who can say to himself, I shall to-day be uppermost.
There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth...lust. When he is strong...quarrelsomeness. When he is old...covetousness.
They must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.
Things that are done, it is needless to speak about...things that are past, it is needless to blame.
To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue...They are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.
To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.
To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.
To know that one knows what one knows, and to know that one doesn't know what one doesn't know, there lies true wisdom.
To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle.
Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.
Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.
We take greater pains to persuade others that we are happy than in endeavoring to think so ourselves.
Wealth and rank are what people desire, but unless they be obtained in the right way they may not be possessed.
What is the sound of one hand clapping
What the superior man seeks is in himself what the small man seeks is in others.
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.
When a man's knowledge is sufficient to attain, and his virtue is not sufficient to enable him to hold, whatever he may have gained, he will lose again.
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.
When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.
When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.
When you know a thing, to hold that you know it and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge.
Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve spirits of the dead...While you do not know life, how can you know about death
With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow - I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud.
Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.
Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men.
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