Mencius Quotes

“All things are complete within ourselves.”

“Secure property in hand leads to peace in mind.”

“The great man does not think beforehand of his words that they may be sincere, nor of his actions that they may be resolute- he simply speaks and does what is right.”

“The way is One and only One. The way is close at hand, but men seek it afar.”

“Human nature is good, just as water seeks low ground. There is no man who is not good, just as there is no water that does not flow downward.”

“The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the least.”

“He who wishes to be benevolent will not be rich.”

“Only when a man will not do some things is he capable of doing great things.”

“Only when someone refuses to do certain things will he be capable of doing great things.”

“The way is near, but men seek it afar. It is in easy things, but men seek for it in difficult things.”

“Human nature is disposed to do good.”

“If you let people follow their feelings, they will be able to do good. This is what is meant by saying that human nature is good.”

“When I say that all men have the mind which cannot bear to see the suffering of others, my meaning is illustrated this way: when two men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they all have a feeling of alarm and distress, not to gain friendship with the child's parents, nor to seek the praise of their neighbors and friends. From such a case, we see that a man without the feeling of commiseration is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity.”

“To feed men and not to love them is to treat them as if they were barnyard cattle. To love them and not respect them is to treat them as if they were household pets.”

“Treat your elders as elders, and extend it to the elders of others; treat your young ones as young ones, and extend it to the young ones of others; then you can turn the whole world in the palm of your hand”

“I dislike death, however, there are some things I dislike more than death. Therefore, there are times when I will not avoid danger.”

“Let men decide firmly what they will not do, and they will be free to do vigorously what they ought to do.”

“Truth uttered before its time is always dangerous.”

“The path of duty lies in what is near, and men seek for it in what is remote; the work of duty lies in what is easy, and men seek for it in what is difficult.”

“Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.”

“The best things in life come in threes, like friends, dreams, and memories.”

“If you know the point of balance, You can settle the details. If you can settle the details, You can stop running around. Your mind will become calm. If your mind becomes calm, You can think in front of a tiger. If you can think in front of a tiger, You will surely succeed.”

“Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority.”

“The sole concern of learning is to seek one's original heart.”

“In abundance prepare for scarcity.”