Confucius Quotes

"Have no friends not equal to yourself."

"When anger rises, think of the consequences."

"Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it."

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

"Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change."

"Respect yourself and others will respect you."

"To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short."

"What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others. "

"Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star."

"Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles."

"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."

"By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart."

"Things that are done, it is needless to speak about...things that are past, it is needless to blame."

"He who will not economize will have to agonize."

"When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."

"Never give a sword to a man who can't dance."

"The people may be made to follow a path of action, but they may not be made to understand it."

"Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue."

"There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth...lust. When he is strong...quarrelsomeness. When he is old...covetousness."

"What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the mean man seeks is in others."

"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."

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

"When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them."

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."

"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."

"Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes."

"The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration."

"The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress."

"To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle."

"Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! Virtue is at hand."

"The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar."

"They must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom."

"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."

"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."

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

"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."

"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."

"The superior man...does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow."

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

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

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

"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."

"Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses."

"To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue...[They are] gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness."

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

"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."

"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."

"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."

"The cautious seldom err."

"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?"

"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."

"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."

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

"Study the past if you would define the future."

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."

"Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness."

"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."

"If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand."

"[The superior man] acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions."

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps."

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

"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."

"The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home."

"When we see persons of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see persons of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."

"To see the right and not to do it is cowardice."

"You cannot open a book without learning something."

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."

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

"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."

"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop."

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

"Virtuous people often revenge themselves for the constraints to which they submit by the boredom which they inspire."

"Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator."

"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."

"The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools."

"Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure."

"To see and listen to the wicked is already the beginning of wickedness."

"Instead of being concerned that you have no office, be concerned to think how you may fit yourself for office. Instead of being concerned that you are not known, see to the (be?) worthy of being known."

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

"If we don't know life, how can we know death?"

"No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance."

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."

"To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice."

"When you are laboring for others let it be with the same zeal as if it were for yourself."

"Never contract friendship with a man that is not better than thyself."

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

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

"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without."

"The book salesman should be honored because he brings to our attention, as a rule, the very books we need most and neglect most."

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

"I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand."

"He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger."

"Study the past, if you would divine the future."

"And remember, no matter where you go, there you are."

"Death and life have their determined appointments; riches and honors depend upon heaven."

"To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it."

"Heaven means to be one with God."

"The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability 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."

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

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

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

"An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger."

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

"They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom."

"Silence is a true friend who never betrays."

"I will not be concerned at other men's not knowing me;I will be concerned at my own want of ability."

"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it."

"Go before the people with your example, and be laborious in their affairs."

"The object of the superior man is truth."

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

"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."

"One atom of the plane where He functions would shatter the world."