Confucius Quotes

“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.”

“The wise man admires water, the kind man admires mountains. The wise man moves, the kind man rests. The wise man is happy, the kind man is firm.”

“A man who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake.”

“The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage.”

“With a heavy load and a long journey”

“Know what you know and know that you don't know what you don't know — that is the characteristic of one who knows.”

“The nobler sort of man emphasizes the good qualities in others, and does not accentuate the bad. The inferior does the reverse. . . . The nobler sort of man pays special attention to nine points. He is anxious to see clearly, to hear distinctly, to be kindly in his looks, respectful in his demeanor, conscientious in his speech, earnest in his affairs. When in doubt, he is careful to inquire; when in anger, he thinks of the consequences; when offered an opportunity for gain, he thinks only of his duty.”

“Even four harnessed horses cannot bring imprudent words back into the mouth.”

“To know everything is to know nothing, but to know nothing is to know everything.”

“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.”

“If I am virtuous and worthy, for whom should I not maintain a proper concern?”

“I know how the birds fly, how the fishes swim, how animals run. But there is the Dragon. I cannot tell how it mounts on the winds through the clouds and flies through heaven. Today I have seen the Dragon.”

“Excess weakens the spirits.”

“If names are not correct, then language is not in accord with the truth of things. If language is not in accord with the truth of things, then affairs cannot be carried out successfully.”

“The gentleman is calm and at ease. The gentleman is dignified but not proud; the small man is proud but not dignified.”

“What can a man do with music who is not benevolent?”

“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.”

“The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills. The wise are active; the virtuous are tranquil. The wise are joyful; the virtuous are long-lived.”

“Who contains himself goes seldom wrong.”

“To study and at times practice what one has learned, is this not a pleasure?”

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

“A person of character takes as much trouble to discover what is right as the lesser men take to discover what will pay.”

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

“If the people are governed by laws and punishment is used to maintain order, they will try to avoid the punishment but have no sense of shame. If they are governed by virtue and rules of propriety are used to maintain order, they will have a sense of shame and will become good as well.”

“The commander of the forces of a large State may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken from him.”