Confucius Quotes

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

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

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#3. Among his own country folk Confucius wore a homely look, like one that has no word to say.

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#4. They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.

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#5. When three persons work together, each can be the teacher in some aspects

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#6. We should worship as though the deity were present.

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#7. 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.

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#8. The object of the superior man is truth.

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

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#10. The Master said, "What a worthy man was Yan Hui! Living in a narrow alley, subsisting upon meager bits of rice and water - other people could not have borne such hardship, and yet it never spoiled Hui's joy. What a worthy man was Hui!"
(Analects 6.11)

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#11. We should not be too familiar with the lower orders or with women,

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#12. When frying small fish, disturb them little.

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#13. A gentleman is not a pot.

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#14. Fix your mind on truth, hold firm to virtue, rely on loving kindness, and find your recreation in the Arts.

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#15. The journey with a 1000 miles begins with one step.

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#16. The superior man, in the world, does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow.

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#17. There are three things against which the wise man guards: lust when young, quarrels when strong, and covetousness when old.

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#18. If a man is not good, what has he to do with the rules of propriety? If he is not good, what has he to do with music?

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#19. When a man comes to me, I accept him at his best, not at his worst. Why make so much ado? When a man washes his hands before paying a visit, and you receive him in that clean state, you do not thereby stand surety for his always having been clean in the past.

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#20. Without goodness a man cannot endure adversity for long, nor can he enjoy prosperity for long. The good man is naturally at ease with goodness. The wise man cultivates goodness for its advantage.

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#21. A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake.

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#22. Do not wish for quick results, nor look for small advantages. If you seek quick results, you will not reach the ultimate goal. If you are led astray by small advantages, you will never accomplish great things.

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#23. It is the law of nature that woman should be held under the dominance of man.

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#24. Labor, but slight not meditation; meditate, but slight not labor.

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#25. Not to alter one's faults is to be faulty indeed.

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#26. Not too isolated, not too many relationships, the middle, that's wisdom.

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#27. Humanity is the equity of the heart.

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#28. The gentleman does not promote people merely on the basis of their words, nor does he reject words merely because of the person who uttered them.

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#29. The whole end of speech is to be understood.

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#30. The true gentleman does not preach what he practices till he has practiced what he preaches.

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#31. Surely it is the maxim of loving-kindness: Do not unto others that you would not have them do unto you.

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#32. Confucius say ... politician is one who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.

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#33. Unify your attention. Do not listen with your ears, but with your mind. Do not listen with your mind but with your essence.

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#34. Which demands a lot of himself and some others, will be free from hatred.

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#35. Reviewing the day's lessons. Isn't it joyful? Friends come from far. Isn't it delightful? One has never been angry at other's misunderstanding. Isn't he a respectable man?

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#36. Think of tomorrow, the past can't be mended.

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#37. Wisdom delights in water; love delights in hills. Wisdom is stirring; love is quiet. Wisdom is merry; love grows old.

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

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

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#40. The superior man honors his virtuous nature, and maintains constant inquiry and study, seeking to carry it out to its breadth and greatness, so as to omit none of the more exquisite and minute points which it embraces, and to raise it to its greatest height and brilliancy.

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#41. 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.

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#42. The superior person tries to promote music as a means to the perfection of human culture. When such music prevails, and people's minds are led towards the right ideals and aspirations, we may see the appearance of a great nation.

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#43. If what one has to say is not better than silence, then one should keep silent.

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#44. Do not let a leader lead you on a bad path.

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#45. What is the good of being ready with the tongue? They who encounter men with smartnesses of speech for the most part procure themselves hatred. I know not whether he be truly virtuous, but why should he show readiness of the tongue?

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#46. I have never seen a man as fond of virtue as of women.

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#47. A superior man is one who is free from fear and anxieties

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#48. To become a leader, you must first become a human being

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#49. The superior man, extensively studying all learning, and keeping himself under the restraint of the rules of propriety, may thus likewise not overstep what is right.

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#50. Confucius say man who get kicked in testicles left holding bag.

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#51. I saw some piglets suckling their dead mother. After a short while they shuddered and went away. They had sensed that she could no longer see them and that she wasn't like them any more. What they loved in their mother wasn't her body, but whatever it was that made her body live.

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#52. 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.

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#53. 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.

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#54. Your eyes are always bigger than your stomach.

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#55. The way of the superior man may be compared to what takes place in traveling, when to go to a distance we must first traverse the space that is near, and in ascending a height, when we must begin from the lower ground.

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#56. Because the newer methods of treatment are good, it does not follow that the old ones were bad: for if our honorable and worshipful ancestors had not recovered from their ailments, you and I would not be here today.

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#57. Be strict with yourself but least reproachful of others and complaint is kept afar.

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#58. The wise are free from perplexities; the virtuous from anxiety; and the bold from fear.

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#59. You have two lives. The second one begins when you realize you only have one.

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#60. Consideration for others is the basis of a good life, a good society.

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#61. A heart set on love will do no wrong.

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

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#63. Plan ahead or find trouble on the doorstep.

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#64. You can successfully force people to follow a certain course, but you cannot force them to understand it.

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#65. The demands that a great man makes are on himself; those of a petty man are upon others.

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#66. Learning without reflection is a waste. Reflection without learning is dangerous.

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#67. If one learns from others, but does not think, one will be bewildered. If, on the other hand, one thinks but does not learn from others, one will be in peril.

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#68. And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

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#69. Don't let your past determine your destiny.

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#70. When people are educated, the distinction between classes disappears.

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#71. True knowledge is when one knows the limitations of one's knowledge.

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#72. A man living without conflicts, as if he never lives at all.

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

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#74. The Master said, 'Respectfulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes laborious bustle; carefulness, without the rules of propriety, becomes timidity; boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination; straightforwardness, without the rules of propriety, becomes rudeness.

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#75. The Master said, 'Subsidiarity.' Tsze-Kung said, 'What the hell are you talking about?

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#76. It's only in winter that the pine and cypress are known to be evergreens.

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#77. At 15 I set my heart on learning; At 30 I firmly took my stand; At 40 I had no delusions; At 50 I knew the Mandate of Heaven; At 60 my ear was attuned; At 70 I followed my heart's desire without overstepping the boundaries of right.

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#78. There is good government when those who are near are made happy, and when those who are afar are attracted.

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#79. All things have beauty, but not everyone sees it

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#80. An angry person is always full of poison.

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

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#82. Things have their roots and branches. Affairs have their beginnings and their ends. To know what is first and what is last will lead one near the Way.

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#83. To conceal resentment against a person, and appear friendly with him; - Tso Ch'iu-ming was ashamed of such conduct.

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

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#85. Who contains himself goes seldom wrong.

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#86. One hundred women are not worth a single testicle.

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#87. He had four of the characteristics of a superior man: - in his conduct of himself, he was humble; in serving his superiors, he was respectful; in nourishing the people, he was kind; in ordering the people, he was just.

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#88. The superior person gathers his weapons together in order to provide against the unforeseen.

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#89. The sun and moon shine on all without partiality.

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#90. The scholar doesn't consider gold and jade as his precious treasures,but knowledge and faith.

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#91. Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things will be nourished and flourish.

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

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

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#94. Even four harnessed horses cannot bring imprudent words back into the mouth.

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#95. A man without persistence will never make a good shaman or a good physician.

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#96. A man should demand much from himself, but little from others. When you meet a man of worth, think how you may attain to his excellence. When you meet an unworthy one, then look within and examine yourself.

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#97. At fifteen, my mind was bent on learning.
At thirty, I stood firm.
At forty, I had no doubts.
At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven.
At sixty, my ear was receptive to truth.
At seventy, I could follow my heart's desires without sin.

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#98. Good is no hermit. It has ever neighbors.

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#99. The Master said, "A true gentleman is one who has set his heart upon the Way. A fellow who is ashamed merely of shabby clothing or modest meals is not even worth conversing with."
(Analects 4.9)

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#100. 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.

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