Confucius Quotes

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

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.

He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

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

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

If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.

Study the past if you would define the future.

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

The funniest people are the saddest ones

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

The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.

Respect yourself and others will respect you.

When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points.

Silence is a true friend who never betrays.

Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.

You cannot open a book without learning something.

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

People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

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

We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.

The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat.

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.

Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life.

The way out is through the door. Why is it that no one will use this method?

It is not the failure of others to appreciate your abilities that should trouble you, but rather your failure to appreciate theirs.

The man of wisdom is never of two minds; the man of benevolence never worries; the man of courage is never afraid.

Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.

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

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

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

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

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.

To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.

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

Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.

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

If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children.

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

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

Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.

To see what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.

The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.

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

To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.

Time flows away like the water in the river.

Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean.

He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.

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.

Learning without thought is labour lost; thought without learning is perilous.

The Man who says he can, and the man who says he can not.. Are both correct

Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know more.

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)

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

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

Have no friends not equal to yourself.

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

Confucius said, "To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.

If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.

The noble-minded are calm and steady. Little people are forever fussing and fretting.

The nobler sort of man emphasizes the good qualities in others, and does not accentuate the bad. The inferior does.

roads were made for journeys not destinations

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

The Master said, “If your conduct is determined solely by considerations of profit you will arouse great resentment.

Tzu Chang asked Confucius about jen. Confucius said, "If you can practice these five things with all the people, you can be called jen." Tzu Chang asked what they were. Confucius said, "Courtesy, generosity, honesty, persistence, and kindness. If you are courteous, you will not be disrespected; if you are generous, you will gain everything. If you are honest, people will rely on you. If you are persistent you will get results. If you are kind, you can employ people.

The Master said, “A true teacher is one who, keeping the past alive, is also able to understand the present.” (Analects 2.11)

Worry not that no one knows you; seek to be worth knowing.

A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace.

Those who know the TRUTH are not equal to those who love it.

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

Behind every smile there's teeth.

He Who Knows And Knows That He Knows Is A Wise Man - Follow Him; He Who Knows Not And Knows Not That He Knows Not Is A Fool - Shun Him

When the wind blows,the grass bends.

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

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.

The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is right, whereas the petty man understands profit.” (Analects 4.16)

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

Settle one difficulty, and you keep a hundred away.

Why should we place Christ at the top and summit of the human race? Was he kinder, more forgiving, more self-sacrificing than Buddha? Was he wiser, did he meet death with more perfect calmness, than Socrates? Was he more patient, more charitable, than Epictetus? Was he a greater philosopher, a deeper thinker, than Epicurus? In what respect was he the superior of Zoroaster? Was he gentler than Lao-tsze, more universal than Confucius? Were his ideas of human rights and duties superior to those of Zeno? Did he express grander truths than Cicero? Was his mind subtler than Spinoza’s? Was his brain equal to Kepler’s or Newton’s? Was he grander in death – a sublimer martyr than Bruno? Was he in intelligence, in the force and beauty of expression, in breadth and scope of thought, in wealth of illustration, in aptness of comparison, in knowledge of the human brain and heart, of all passions, hopes and fears, the equal of Shakespeare, the greatest of the human race?

The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.

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.

The way of the superior person is threefold; virtuous, they are free from anxieties; wise they are free from perplexities; and bold they are free from fear.

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

The capitalist and consumerist ethics are two sides of the same coin, a merger of two commandments. The supreme commandment of the rich is ‘Invest!’ The supreme commandment of the rest of us is ‘Buy!’ The capitalist–consumerist ethic is revolutionary in another respect. Most previous ethical systems presented people with a pretty tough deal. They were promised paradise, but only if they cultivated compassion and tolerance, overcame craving and anger, and restrained their selfish interests. This was too tough for most. The history of ethics is a sad tale of wonderful ideals that nobody can live up to. Most Christians did not imitate Christ, most Buddhists failed to follow Buddha, and most Confucians would have caused Confucius a temper tantrum. In contrast, most people today successfully live up to the capitalist–consumerist ideal. The new ethic promises paradise on condition that the rich remain greedy and spend their time making more money and that the masses give free reign to their cravings and passions and buy more and more. This is the first religion in history whose followers actually do what they are asked to do. How though do we know that we'll really get paradise in return? We've seen it on television.

You will never know how sharp a sword is unless it's drawn from its sheath

Learn as if you were not reaching your goal and as though you were scared of missing it

I am Plato's Republic. Mr. Simmons is Marcus. I want you to meet Jonathan Swift, the author of that evil political book, Gulliver's Travels! And this other fellow is Charles Darwin, and-this one is Schopenhauer, and this one is Einstein, and this one here at my elbow is Mr. Albert Schweitzer, a very kind philosopher indeed. Here we all are, Montag. Aristophanes and Mahatma Gandhi and Gautama Buddha and Confucius and Thomas Love Peacock and Thomas Jefferson and Mr. Lincoln, if you please. We are also Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

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

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nations. When there is order in the nations, there will peace in the world.

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

A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not be equal to our present?

One joy dispels a hundred cares.

Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.

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.

Jesus was not revolutionary because he said we should love God and each other. Moses said that first. So did Buddha, Confucius, and countless other religious leaders we've never heard of. Madonna, Oprah, Dr. Phil, the Dali Lama, and probably a lot of Christian leaders will tell us that the point of religion is to get us to love each other. "God loves you" doesn't stir the world's opposition. However, start talking about God's absolute authority, holiness, ... Christ's substitutionary atonement, justification apart from works, the necessity of new birth, repentance, baptism, Communion, and the future judgment, and the mood in the room changes considerably.

Some are born with knowledge, some derive it from study, and some acquire it only after a painful realization of their ignorance. But the knowledge being possessed, it comes to the same thing. Some study with a natural ease, some from a desire for advantages, and some by strenuous effort. But the achievement being made, it comes to the same thing.

Cracking his knuckles, Cary dramatically prepared to open his fortune cookie. “Let’s see. Will I be rich? Famous? About to meet Mr. or Ms. Tall, Dark, and Tasty? Traveling to distant lands? What’d you guys get?” “Mine’s lame,” I said. “In the end all things will be known. Duh. I didn’t need a fortune to figure that out.” Gideon opened his and read, “Prosperity will knock on your door soon.” I snorted. Cary shot me a look. “I know, right? You snatched someone else’s cookie, Cross.” “He better not be anywhere near someone else’s cookie,” I said dryly. Reaching over, Gideon plucked half of mine out of my fingers. “Don’t worry, angel. Your cookie is the only one I want.” He popped it in his mouth with a wink. “Gag,” Cary muttered. “Get a room.” He cracked his fortune with a flourish, and then scowled. “What the fuck?” I leaned forward. “What’s it say?” “Confucius say,” Gideon ad-libbed, “man with hand in pocket feel cocky all day.” Cary threw half his cookie at Gideon, who caught it deftly and grinned. “Give me that.” I snatched the fortune out from between Cary’s fingers and read it. Then laughed. “Fuck you, Eva.” “Well?” Gideon prodded. “Pick another cookie.” Gideon smiled. “Pwned by a fortune.” Cary threw the other half of his cookie.