Mencius Quotes

“Virtue alone is not sufficient for the exercise of government; laws alone cannot carry themselves into practice.”

“The myriad things are complete in us. There is no greater joy than to reflect on ourselves and become sincere.”

“When one by force subdues men, they do not submit to him in heart. They submit because their strength is not adequate to resist.”

“Without effective protection of the citizens' right to property, it will be difficult to attract and accumulate valuable capital.”

“Never has there been one possessed of complete sincerity who did not move others. Never has there been one who had not sincerity who was able to move others.”

“If the king loves music, there is little wrong in the land.”

“The Way lies at hand yet it is sought afar off; the thing lies in the easy yet it is sought in the difficult.”

“If the King loves music, it is well with the land.”

“The way of truth is like a great highway. It is not hard to find.”

“He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature.”

“Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do.”

“He who attends to his greater self becomes a great man, and he who attends to his smaller self becomes a small man.”

“The foundation of the world lies in the nation. The foundation of the nation lies in the family. The foundation of the family lies in the individual.”

“The way of truth is like a great road. It is not difficult to know it. The evil is only that men will not seek it.”

“The ways are two: love and want of love. That is all.”

“Kindly words do not enter so deeply into men as a reputation for kindness.”

“Listen to a man's words and look at the pupil of his eye. How can a man conceal his character?”

“Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue.”

“If you know that a thing is unrighteous, then use all dispatch in putting an end to it--why wait till next year?”

“The way of learning is none other than finding the lost mind.”

“He who loves others is constantly loved by them. He who respects others is constantly respected by them.”

“It is not difficult to govern. All one has to do is not to offend the noble families.”

“A man must first despise himself, and then others will despise him.”

“To act without clear understanding, to form habits without investigation, to follow a path all one's life without knowing where it really leads; such is the behavior of the multitude.”

“People are eager to comment on something when they themselves are not in the situation of doing it.”