Mencius Quotes

“I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness.”

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

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

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

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

“A small country cannot contend with a great; the few cannot contend with the many; the weak cannot contend with the strong”

“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.”

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

“The feeling of right or wrong is the beginning of wisdom.”

“Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence”

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

“A real man is he whose goodness is a part of himself.”

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

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

“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.”

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

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

“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.”

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

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

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

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

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

“He who outrages benevolence is called a ruffian: he who outrages righteousness is called a villain. I have heard of the cutting off of the villain Chow, but I have not heard of the putting of a ruler to death.”

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

“Those who follow the part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow the part which is little are little men.”

“In abundance prepare for scarcity.”

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

“There is a power in everything; it is the job of the artist to determine it and express it.”

“Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men's minds are also injured by them.”

“Truth uttered before its time is always dangerous.”

“Let not a man do what his sense of right bids him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid workman.”

“If the prince of a State love benevolence, he will have no opponent in all the empire.”

“The root of the kingdom is in the state. The root of the state is in the family. The root of the family is in the person of its head.”

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

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

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

“Benevolence is one of the distinguishing characters of man.”

“People can have a long-term life plan only if they know their private property is secure.”

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

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

“Never has a man who has bent himself been able to make others straight.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

“All things are already complete in us. There is no greater delight than to be conscious of right within us. If one strives to treat others as he would be treated by them, he shall not fail to come near the perfect life.”

“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.”

“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.”